UK consul to Erbil stresses need for elections to take place

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - James Goldman, the United Kingdom’s consul general to Erbil, on Sunday told Rudaw that the UK is engaged in talks with all the parties in the Kurdistan Region, stressing the need for the Region’s parliamentary elections to take place “as soon as possible.”

The Kurdistan Region is set to hold parliamentary elections on June 10 after a nearly two-year delay. The upcoming polls will be unique in the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary history, with fewer seats in the legislature, a new constituency system, and the poll being administered by the federal commission for the first time due to disagreements between the main Kurdish parties resulting in the failure to renew the mandate of the regional electoral body as required by law.

“We speak to all the parties, all the representatives here, and we’ve listened to all of them, and we understand the varying viewpoints. But the key thing for the UK, and I think I would say for the international community is the elections need to take place… and they need to take place as soon as possible,” Goldman told Rudaw’s Nma Nabaz.

The UK consul stressed that it is important to hold the elections to renew and re-legitimize the mandate of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as well as to ensure that the voice of the people of the Kurdistan Region is heard in a fair and transparent election, which he defined as being “critical for democracy.”

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court last month ruled that the 11 quota seats in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament reserved for ethnic and religious minorities were unconstitutional, effectively eliminating the seats.

Goldman said that it would not be appropriate for the UK to comment on matters of the judiciary, but emphasized that his country encourages all parties to ensure that the rights of all minorities in the Kurdistan Region are protected in the upcoming elections and future political processes.

The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in March announced that it will not be partaking in the upcoming elections in light of recent measures taken by the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court deemed by the party to be detrimental to the Kurdistan Region.

Erbil-Baghdad salary issues

The cash-strapped KRG has frequently failed to pay civil servants on time and in full for nearly a decade, and the halt in oil exports has further exacerbated this issue. Public sector employees went unpaid for over 60 days after receiving their January salaries.

Goldman described the salaries issue as “critical” as it affects all people of the Kurdistan Region. He said that the UK has encouraged and continues to support dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad to resolve the pressing issue.

The Kurdistan Region finance ministry on Sunday announced that Baghdad has deposited the final installment necessary to pay the Region's employees' March salaries into the Kurdistan Region’s account.

“The key thing now is we move from the really good progress that’s been made to a sustainable, ongoing solution that means the people of the KRI have complete confidence in the salary being paid on a regular basis,” said the UK consul.

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in February ordered the KRG to submit a breakdown of the monthly budget for its payroll to the finance ministry so that Baghdad could start paying the Region’s share from the federal budget.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said on Saturday that Baghdad is keen to continue financing the Kurdistan Region’s payroll in a way that does not contradict the ruling of the Federal Supreme Court, urging cooperation and flexibility from Erbil.

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