If MPs boycott Kurdistan parliament, seats can go to other parties: former MP

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Speculating on the fate of seats obtained by Kurdistani parties who may decide to boycott the Kurdistan’s parliament, a former MP says legally the seats should go to the parties who are willing to participate.

"According to Article 61 of the election law of the Kurdistan parliament, the seats of any party which boycott the Kurdistan parliament go to other [participating] parties,” said Firsat Sofi, a former parliamentarian from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Results for Sunday’s election are expected to be released on Wednesday. Parties and media outlets have made various reports and predications using piecemeal data.

Sofi gave the example of if a party or parties boycott and their winning candidates or other appointed candidates aren’t sworn into parliament, their seats will be distributed to candidates of participating parties who just missed the threshold to obtain a seat. 

The abandoned seats first go to the top participating, remaining parties and then the parties which did not obtain enough votes for their candidates, but still want to participate in parliament.

MPs must decide whether to be sworn in within 90 days of parliament’s first session, according to the election law.

Both the Change Movement (Gorran) and New Generation have preemptively threatened to reject the election results entirely if fraudulent ballots are not annulled before official results are announced. 

The Shams Network for Election Observation in Iraq on Monday released its assessment of the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary election. 

Although the election was well organized and passed off peacefully, the monitor noted cases of fraud and other violations. 

The European Union's Foreign Affairs and Security Policy meanwhile hailed the "peaceful and orderly" election and called on all sides to accept the result. 

"It is positive that first reports confirm a peaceful and orderly ballot. Vote counting should now be completed speedily and transparently, the results should be accepted by all parties and any claims of irregularities addressed through the available procedures, leading to the swift constitution of a new Parliament and Government," it said in a statement on Monday.

The United Nations Secretary-General Special Representative to Iraq acknowledged there would problems after the commission announces results.

"How to adjudicate the complaints in full transparency — that would give confidence to all the people and political parties in the results,” said Jan Kubis on Sunday.