Iraqi PM Abadi arrives in Kirkuk for electoral campaign

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi Prime Minister and leader of the Nasr (Victory) coalition, arrived in Kirkuk on Saturday to campaign for his party's candidates in the province now competing for seats in the nation's next parliament. 

The visit comes exactly two weeks before elections will be held across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Following his arrival, he first met with Arab constituents in Kirkuk, raising eyebrows from Turkmen parties, estimated to be the second largest population in the province following the Kurds, according to Kurdistan 24 Correspondent Soran Kamaran.

Abadi is also expected to visit the former Islamic State (IS) stronghold and embattled city of Hawija, located in the west of the province, to campaign for votes among residents there.

The Iraqi Premier recently visited the Kurdistan Region's provinces of Erbil and Sulaimani for the same purpose but canceled plans to make an appearance in Duhok. The Nasr coalition is fielding a total of 25 candidates in Dohuk, Erbil, and Sulaimani.

After past national elections, the support of the Kurdish bloc within the Baghdad parliament has been crucial to the new prime minister receiving a clear majority and fulfilling his mandate to form a government.

The legislative elections are scheduled to be held on May 12. Out of a total of 329 seats in the Iraqi Parliament, Kirkuk will elect 13 candidates.

Following the Sep. 25 independence referendum, held in the Kurdistan Region and disputed territories such as Kirkuk, Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi (PMF) militias pushed Kurdish Peshmerga from the territories. Kirkuk, an oil-rich and ethnically diverse province, has been the scene of renewed violence and instability since then.

Editing by John J. Catherine