SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has formally notified the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of its intention to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai who spoke to Zoom News.
Ghalai announced that on Sunday, the KDP submitted an official letter to IHEC expressing its intention to participate in the elections. This marks a significant departure from the party’s previous position, which had declared its intention to boycott the elections.
The previous position of the leading party in the Kurdistan Region was influenced by a ruling from the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court in February. This ruling declared the reservation of 11 minority quota seats in the Kurdistan Parliament as “unconstitutional,” leading to a reduction in parliamentary seats to 100.
After months of dispute, the Iraqi Judicial Board of Elections restored last month five of the minority quota seats within the legislative body’s total of 100 seats.
KDP’s decision comes as the timing of the elections, originally scheduled for June 10 after multiple postponements, remains uncertain as no specific date has been set. However, the regional authorities have previously confirmed that the elections will indeed occur sometime this year.
