President Barzani's visit shifts Baghdad's outlook: embracing inclusive elections
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, directed the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to proceed with parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing the importance of inclusive participation from all segments of society.
According to the Kurdish Presidency, Al-Sudani's directive followed the visit of the Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani to Baghdad, where he met with the head of the Electoral Commission and "emphasized the importance of holding elections in Kurdistan in the context of political consensus and the participation of all societal components from various Iraqi spectrums in the Region, ensuring the principles of fairness and equality in implementing this entitlement."
Last February, Iraq's Supreme Court issued rulings related to the Kurdistan Region's election law.
The court declared that a specific article concerning the minority quota in KRG's provincial election law was deemed "unconstitutional." This article, part of a law initially adopted in 1992 and revised in 2013, mandates 11 quota seats in the Regional parliament for ethnic and religious minorities. In response, the Turkmen and Christian parties withdrew from the elections.
Furthermore, the verdict stated that Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission will take over from KRG's electoral commission to supervise parliamentary elections, which are anticipated to occur next June.
The decision also divided Kurdistan into four constituencies, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Erbil, Duhok, and Halabja, instead of the single-constituency system in previous elections.
In response, on March 2023, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) declared its decision to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, warning of potential withdrawal from Iraq's political process.
Notably, Kurdistan's autonomy is protected by the Iraqi constitution, ratified in 2005, ensuring the political and economic rights of approximately six million residents in the Kurdistan Region. Nonetheless, there has been a significant lack of trust between the Kurdistan Region and the central government in Baghdad in recent years, mainly regarding elections, oil exports, and salaries of Kurdish employees.
One of the main issues that could empower the federal government is the political division in Kurdistan.
The Region predominantly governs KDP, yet the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) wields considerable influence in the Region's political and military realms.
Although the KDP and PUK are partners in the State Administration Coalition (SAC), their relationship has been strained for years, primarily concerning power and revenue distribution issues.
The recent court ruling in Iraq stemmed from legal actions by Kurdish political factions opposed to the KDP's dominance in politics within the Kurdistan Region. However, PUK stated it is fully prepared to participate in the June elections.
