SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The Presidency of the Kurdistan Region intends to convene political parties to explore the option of delaying the parliamentary elections, bringing them together for discussions around this matter.
The effort comes as the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) makes preparations for conducting elections in the Region. The Commission allocated uniform numbers to registered political parties and independent candidates through a lottery process on Monday, except for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) which has already decided not to participate in the elections.
Since last week, the KDP has been attempting to delay the parliamentary elections. Sources from the IHEC, speaking to Zoom News, have confirmed that the KDP officially requested the commission to postpone the elections. However, the commission responded that the decision lies within the jurisdiction of the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency, rather than the commission itself.
Zoom News has learned from sources who prefer to remain anonymous that in the upcoming days, the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency will convene political parties to discuss the potential postponement of the elections. It extends an invitation to all parties to participate in a meeting at the Presidency’s headquarters.
The gathering involving various political parties regarding the matter is seen as an effort to distribute the responsibility for the decision to postpone the elections evenly among all parties.
In his recent statement regarding the timely conduct of elections, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, emphasized that it is a political issue requiring discussion among all political parties. He stressed the importance of reaching a shared understanding to resolve the matter. This could indicate the President’s willingness to engage in dialogue with all political parties in the Region.
Regarding the involvement of the KDP, Jumana al-Ghalai, spokesperson for the IHEC, informed Zoom News that if the elections are not further postponed, the KDP, the leading governing party in the Region, will no longer have the opportunity to participate, as the deadline for submission of political party candidate lists has passed.
The KDP’s position on the election is influenced by recent rulings from the Federal Court concerning the removal of the 11 minority quota seats and the direct allocation of the Region’s civil servants from Baghdad. The KDP is dissatisfied with these decisions and remains unresponsive to both international and internal appeals.
KDP defies calls, refuses participation in parliamentary elections
