Kurdistan
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani receiving officials from Iraq's High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on July 17, 2023. Photo: Sudani's office
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday discussed the “importance” of holding the Kurdish parliamentary elections after the Kurdistan Region’s presidency requested Iraq’s federal electoral body to supervise the vote.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency announced on Wednesday that it had submitted a formal request to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in regards to the Kurdish parliamentary elections, suggesting the polls be held on their originally scheduled date of November 18 or simultaneously with the Iraqi provincial elections on December 18.
In a meeting with IHEC officials, Sudani stressed “the importance of setting a date for holding the elections for the parliament of the Kurdistan Region,” according to a statement by his office.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in late May ruled against the Kurdistan Region’s parliament decision to extend its term by an additional year, declaring that the term of the legislature had ended and that the self-extension was unconstitutional.
A new parliamentary election was set to be held in October 2022, but disagreements between Kurdish political parties over the current elections law and the electoral commission prevented the process from being conducted on its scheduled time and pushed the legislature to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
With Kurdish lawmakers having failed to reactivate the regional electoral commission before the self-extension and all decisions from the parliament thereafter declared null by the Supreme Court, the IHEC has been tasked with carrying out the poll.
The Iraqi electoral body is currently preparing for Iraq-wide provincial elections later this year and has repeatedly stated that it would not be able to hold both elections in close proximity.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency announced on Wednesday that it had submitted a formal request to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in regards to the Kurdish parliamentary elections, suggesting the polls be held on their originally scheduled date of November 18 or simultaneously with the Iraqi provincial elections on December 18.
In a meeting with IHEC officials, Sudani stressed “the importance of setting a date for holding the elections for the parliament of the Kurdistan Region,” according to a statement by his office.
Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in late May ruled against the Kurdistan Region’s parliament decision to extend its term by an additional year, declaring that the term of the legislature had ended and that the self-extension was unconstitutional.
A new parliamentary election was set to be held in October 2022, but disagreements between Kurdish political parties over the current elections law and the electoral commission prevented the process from being conducted on its scheduled time and pushed the legislature to extend its four-year term for an additional year.
With Kurdish lawmakers having failed to reactivate the regional electoral commission before the self-extension and all decisions from the parliament thereafter declared null by the Supreme Court, the IHEC has been tasked with carrying out the poll.
The Iraqi electoral body is currently preparing for Iraq-wide provincial elections later this year and has repeatedly stated that it would not be able to hold both elections in close proximity.
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