ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Foreign missions and political parties in Kurdistan welcomed the appointment of a new date for the Kurdistan Region’s legislative elections despite concerns over multiple previous delays.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Wednesday set October 20 as the date for the Region’s general polls - a process which has been repeatedly delayed.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) welcomed the appointment of the new date, reiterating its “readiness” to work with the federal Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) “to ensure inclusive, free and fair elections, with full participation of women and all other components of the Kurdistan Region society.”
Thomas Seiler, ambassador of the European Union Advisory Mission to Iraq, said his office had worked closely with Baghdad and Erbil as well all Kurdish political parties “to make this happen.”
“Political decisions in KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] will again have full democratic legitimacy,” he noted.
The Canadian embassy’s office in Erbil expressed its support for the Kurdistan Region’s “democracy and stability.” The French consulate in Erbil said Paris endorses “free and fair elections” in the Kurdistan Region.
The vote, which was originally slated for October 2022, has been postponed multiple times due to political quarrels and legal obstacles.
The relations between Region’s political heavyweights, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have been thorny in recent years, ushering in new headaches amid the political deadlock.
The decision paves the way for the vote to be ultimately held.
“This date is not the date that everyone agreed on, but it is the date that we ultimately chose. There is no other solution other than holding the Kurdistan parliamentary elections,” Kurdistan Region Presidency Spokesperson Dilshad Shahab said in a press conference, adding that authorities will comply with the schedule and cooperate with Iraq’s electoral body to facilitate the process.
A major ruling by Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court in February labeled the 11 quota seats in the Kurdistan Region’s parliament reserved for ethnic and religious minorities as “unconstitutional,” striking down their legitimacy and rendering chances of minorities to obtain representation almost impossible. The lawsuit that led to the ruling was filed by the PUK and a Sulaimani-based Christian party.
But the KDP lashed out in response and announced that they would boycott the vote, scheduled for June 10 at the time, expressing concern about multiple factors — foremost of which was the minority quota seats being taken by Baghdad. Several Christian and Turkmen parties joined the boycott.
The KDP said on Wednesday that it had kicked off preparations for the elections.
KDP leader Masoud Barzani commended the Kurdistan Region Presidency for setting October 20 as the new election date and calls on political parties to cooperate "responsibly" in the electoral process.
Saadi Ahmed Pira, PUK spokesperson, said they welcome the new date, adding that they are against “any scenarios to postpone the elections.”
He said rigging will be “impossible” in these elections because it will be supervised by the federal electoral body.
The spokesperson said that the PUK was not consulted with the new date, claiming that no other political party was consulted as well.
“The election date is far away, and we had hoped the Kurdistan parliamentary elections would be held sooner,” Shaswar Abulwahid, leader of the opposition New Generation Movement, said in a post on X.
“However, these elections are crucial for the Kurdish people to overcome this unfavorable situation. We eagerly look forward to election day and the end of the detrimental rule of the PUK and KDP with hopeful spirits and happy hearts,” he added.
Officials from the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) also welcomed the new date.
The Iraqi government expressed its “full readiness to support all requirements for the success of this electoral process and to do everything that enhances the participation of our Kurdish people and other fraternal groups in the region,” said the federal government spokesperson, Basim al-Awadi, in a statement.
“This is to ensure that the results of the electoral process truly reflect the will of our people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, representing their free democratic choices, and to continue promoting stability, development, and realizing the aspirations of citizens in choosing their representatives in the Kurdistan Region's legislative authority,” he added.
Imad Jamil, head of IHEC's media team, welcomed the new date and said that the commission will begin preparations to hold the vote on schedule.
"The election date is very appropriate and we welcome it," he told Rudaw.
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