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Kurdistan
Head of KDP delegation Fazil Mirani (left) meeting with Komal Leader Ali Bapir in Erbil on May 19, 2023. Photo: Komal
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s governing Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Friday held meetings with several political parties months ahead of general elections that have been delayed due to disagreements over how to conduct the vote.
The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 18, a year late. The vote was postponed due to disagreements between key political parties over the electoral law and the electoral commission. KDP leader Masoud Barzani, during an event on May 11, called on all parties to put aside their differences and “turn a new page.”
A KDP delegation on Friday visited the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and the Kurdistan Communist Party as well as minority representatives.
Abdulsattar Majeed, a senior Komal official, told Rudaw that the meeting was “friendly,” adding that his party has always been against the postponement of elections.
In a statement, Komal said they discussed elections and agreed that all issues hindering the vote should be resolved "as soon as possible," as any further postponement would put the Region's future "in danger."
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has said it would like to see several issues resolved ahead of going to the polls, including amending the electoral law that it says does not allocate parliamentary seats across the provinces fairly.
Rewaz Fayaq, speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament and PUK member, said late last month that the parties have resolved all their disputes related to elections, except for the seats dedicated to minorities in the legislature.
The Kurdistan Parliament consists of 111 seats, with 11 of them dedicated to minority communities under a quota system. Turkmens have five seats, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs have five, and Armenians one. Some political parties have claimed that these seats are exploited by the KDP, which is accused of directing security forces to vote for the minority candidates it favours. The KDP has denied the accusation.
Aydin Maruf, a senior official from the Turkmen Front in Erbil, told Rudaw’s Farhad Dolamari on Friday after meeting with the KDP delegation that the minority seats are not a sticking point.
Briefing the UN Security Council on Thursday about the latest developments in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who is head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), called on the Kurdish political parties to resolve their issues to pave the way for the elections to be held on time.
She warned that further postponement could be “detrimental to public trust."
Earlier this month, PM Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, who is a senior PUK member, had their first public meeting in over six months. They agreed to resolve ongoing issues through dialogue and cooperation between all parties.
Diplomatic missions in the Kurdistan Region have welcomed the recent de-escalation of KDP and PUK tensions, while stressing the need to cooperate to hold “fair and free” elections on time.
The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 18, a year late. The vote was postponed due to disagreements between key political parties over the electoral law and the electoral commission. KDP leader Masoud Barzani, during an event on May 11, called on all parties to put aside their differences and “turn a new page.”
A KDP delegation on Friday visited the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), and the Kurdistan Communist Party as well as minority representatives.
Abdulsattar Majeed, a senior Komal official, told Rudaw that the meeting was “friendly,” adding that his party has always been against the postponement of elections.
In a statement, Komal said they discussed elections and agreed that all issues hindering the vote should be resolved "as soon as possible," as any further postponement would put the Region's future "in danger."
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has said it would like to see several issues resolved ahead of going to the polls, including amending the electoral law that it says does not allocate parliamentary seats across the provinces fairly.
Rewaz Fayaq, speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament and PUK member, said late last month that the parties have resolved all their disputes related to elections, except for the seats dedicated to minorities in the legislature.
The Kurdistan Parliament consists of 111 seats, with 11 of them dedicated to minority communities under a quota system. Turkmens have five seats, Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Syriacs have five, and Armenians one. Some political parties have claimed that these seats are exploited by the KDP, which is accused of directing security forces to vote for the minority candidates it favours. The KDP has denied the accusation.
Aydin Maruf, a senior official from the Turkmen Front in Erbil, told Rudaw’s Farhad Dolamari on Friday after meeting with the KDP delegation that the minority seats are not a sticking point.
Briefing the UN Security Council on Thursday about the latest developments in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who is head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), called on the Kurdish political parties to resolve their issues to pave the way for the elections to be held on time.
She warned that further postponement could be “detrimental to public trust."
Earlier this month, PM Masrour Barzani and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, who is a senior PUK member, had their first public meeting in over six months. They agreed to resolve ongoing issues through dialogue and cooperation between all parties.
Diplomatic missions in the Kurdistan Region have welcomed the recent de-escalation of KDP and PUK tensions, while stressing the need to cooperate to hold “fair and free” elections on time.
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