KIU chooses opposition, plans internal reforms after poor showing

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) will not participate in the next Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) because it wants to push for reforms. The party will have an internal overhaul to address its catastrophic results.

Hadi Ali, the KIU’s head of political affairs, read a statement following an exceptional leadership council meeting earlier on Monday to discuss election results and participation in the next government.  

"The leadership council, after discussing the results of the referendum among the cadres and party organs, decided that the KIU [will not participate] in this term's cabinet and will continue its political and parliamentary struggle as the opposition," said Hadi.

Seventy-percent of the queried cadres asked for the KIU to choose the path of the opposition.

The incumbent government, after months of talks following the 2013 election, was formed based on a coalition agreement. Nearly all parties participated.

The KIU held the Ministry of Electricity initially, but its minister soon resigned, complaining that the KDP-held Ministry of Natural Resources was not providing the ministry with fuel for electricity generation.

Hadi says the party wants active participation in the process of "real reforms" that oppose corruption, bringing about justice "for all the people, segments and classes of our people".

The leadership thanked supporters, adding that there will be "drastic reevaluation, locating the weak points, the reasons for the vote decrease, undertaking reforms, and internal overhaul" of the party in the coming days in the General Council meeting of the party for the renewing, reawakening and transcending the current phase, added Hadi.

The party said it will also file a lawsuit against the electoral commission.

The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election on September 30 saw a landslide victory for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 45 seats and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 21 seats. The Change Movement (Gorran) came third. 

The joint KIU-Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (IMK) Reform List won five seats. When the KIU ran alone in 2013, it secured 10. 

The election has been plagued with accusations of fraud and election rigging by the KDP and the PUK. The results were approved by a small majority of the election commission’s council.