Single seat-holding communist party says it will oppose new Kurdistan Region government

The Kurdistan Communist Party - Iraq on Tuesday announced it would not participate in the new regional government of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, but will serve as an opposition party.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Communist Party - Iraq on Tuesday announced it would not participate in the new regional government of the Kurdish semi-autonomous region, but will serve as an opposition party.

“For the next four years, we will play the role of opposition,” read the statement issued by the central committee of the party. “We have made some decisions as preparation to play an effective role as the left-democratic opposition.”

The party took part in the Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 30 parliamentary election in an electoral list under the name of Azadi (Freedom). It secured one seat in Kurdistan’s 111-seat Parliament.

“The central committee decided not to participate in the new [government] cabinet and do not vote on it due to our differing opinions on the implementation of neo-liberal capitalistic policies by the winners,” the statement continued.

Other parties have yet to decide whether they will take up roles in the new Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) cabinet as they wait to meet with leading parties and present their terms.

Over the past decade, Gorran (Change) has formed the largest opposition party in the Kurdish-semi autonomous region. In the 2013 regional parliamentary election, it won 24 seats, becoming the second-largest party in the Kurdistan Region.

In the 2018 election, the number of seats for Gorran dropped to 12, halving their 2013 gains.

The Kurdistan Islamic Group (KIG), also known as Komal, won seven seats. The party is yet to decide whether it will be part of the new cabinet.

New Generation, a newly formed party which won eight seats, has already announced it will be part of the opposition during this parliamentary term.

Both the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM), which ran in Sep. 30 election under one electoral list, won five seats. They have also decided to serve as opposition after having their seats drop by half

Editing by Nadia Riva