Iraq
Iraq's Council of Ministers hold a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on November 5, 2024. Photo: Office of the PM
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's Council of Ministers chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Tuesday approved requests from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to conduct the census based on residents' place of origin, using the 1957 census for reference in disputed areas, addressing long-standing demographic concerns.
During the council meeting, Sudani announced that he oversaw “preparations for conducting the national population census across Iraq on November 20,” according to a statement from his office that approved seven census-related points.
During the council meeting, Sudani announced that he oversaw “preparations for conducting the national population census across Iraq on November 20,” according to a statement from his office that approved seven census-related points.
With the official census being conducted November 20-21, Iraq commenced its first phase in September by surveying and counting buildings. In early October, the census process began in the Kurdistan Region. The process has raised concerns among some Kurdish officials about potential demographic shifts in disputed areas.
“They have made a decision… that is very important for the process of the general population census, and it is an answer to the notes of the KRG team,” Hawre Tofiq, head of the Iraqi presidency’s office of relations and international organizations, told Rudaw on Tuesday, elaborating on the census-related items.
According to the decision, people will be registered based on their place of origin rather than their current place of residence. Inhabitants in disputed areas will be recorded using information from the 1957 census. Immigrants and people living and working in other provinces will be registered per their area of origin. The decision also indicates that KRG representatives can be present at data centers in Baghdad for transparency.
Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic oil-rich province, experienced demographic change under the Baathist regime’s policy of Arabization, designed to force Kurdish landowners out of the oil-rich province. After the fall of Saddam Hussein, successive governments have failed to fully implement steps to reverse the demographic changes and there have been new population shifts in recent years.
According to Tofiq, the council resolved to uphold a 2010 federal Iraqi court ruling that prohibits the census from inquiring about ethnicity or sect, clarifying that the current census will not replace the special census required to determine Kirkuk's status.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution outlines steps to resolve jurisdictional disputes between the Iraqi federal government and the KRG over disputed areas like Kirkuk. The referendum, intended for completion by 2007, however, can only occur after lands have been returned to their original owners and a special census.
The council also mandated that three employees - an Arab, Kurd, and Turkmen - will document records together to ensure transparency, and in Christian-majority areas, a Christian employee will replace the Turkmen representative. Additionally, the KRG census committee must begin training teams to conduct the census.
The council also instructed the statistical offices of the KRG and the federal government to work alongside Iraq’s interior ministry in verifying residency records. Officials will cross-reference data from the 1957 census and the migration and displaced ministry with current census data to exclude immigrants from being listed as residents of disputed areas, ensuring that origins based on the 1957 census are recorded as their place of residence.
“This is a good assurance to prevent demographic change, and using the census only for developmental reasons and not political reasons,” Tofiq said.
“According to statistics from the KRG, they said during the meeting that more than 700,000 of Arab brothers and sisters are in the cities of the Kurdistan Region for working and living,” Tofiq revealed, adding that while these individuals will be recorded in their current locations for the census, their registration will ultimately reflect their place of origin, verified through data prepared by the planning ministry.
Additionally, a technical team from the KRG will be present at data centers in Baghdad to ensure data accuracy and transparency throughout the process.
Yazidi, Turkmen, and Kurdish officials have raised concerns about inclusion and fairness in Iraq’s upcoming census, while the government has said the survey is intended solely for development purposes.
On Thursday, Arshad al-Salihi, head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front bloc in parliament, cautioned against using the upcoming census as a “political tool,” emphasizing that “the 1957 census should be the basis for the future of Kirkuk province; otherwise, we will not accept any other censuses.”
Salihi’s remarks followed a meeting among Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, and representatives from the KRG, discussing the concerns of the Kurdistan Region. These included the tight timelines and limited budget allocated, the lack of a separate database for the Kurdistan Region as initially requested in August, and the month-long head start of the census in other regions of Iraq.
Ali Arian, the executive head of the Iraqi census, said that a joint committee has been established between the planning ministries of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to coordinate the census efforts.
"More than 94 percent of the listing and numbering process in the Kurdistan Region has been completed. The process is going well and quickly and will be completed in the next couple of days,” Guhdar Mohammed Ali, the head of the technical and field division of the Kurdistan Region’s census told Rudaw on Monday.
“If there are no problems, the census process will be conducted on time. We have made all preparations at the level of the provinces of the Kurdistan Region," he said.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report.
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