Kurdish parties differ on delays as Kurdistan Region election date nears

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdish parliamentary factions on Monday voiced their support for Sep. 30 as the date for the Kurdistan Region elections while disputing the necessity of a delay called for by another party.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) faction leader in the Kurdistan Region Parliament, Umed Khoshnaw, expressed his party’s support for the Sep. 30 polling date set by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

Meanwhile, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) leadership council, Fahmi Burhan, said that “it is better to hold both elections together so” the event does “not tire the people of Kurdistan too much.”

Although the PUK spokesperson is yet to confirm the party’s official position, they justify the delay as a means to prepare for the Provincial Council and the Parliamentary elections.

Both the Movement for Change (Gorran) and the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) had earlier expressed the same position citing the public’s possible loss of faith in the democratic process with the prolonging of Parliament’s term.

The body’s term was already increased in 2017 by eight months after the events of Oct. 16 which saw the withdrawal of Peshmerga from disputed territories between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region after an assault by Iraqi forces and Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi in response to the Region’s independence referendum.

The difference of opinions regarding delays could signal tensions between the different parties as most, KDP not included, alleged that the PUK had committed fraud in the recent Iraqi parliamentary election, especially in Kirkuk Province where the PUK maintained its six seats from the 2014 election.

“Some of the problems we are currently facing can be fixed with the election,” Khoshnaw said.

Various parties have addressed and called for an end to disagreements as there is a critical necessity for a united Kurdish front in Baghdad as the time for the formation of a government preceding the contested May 12 election nears.

The registration process for candidates in the Kurdistan elections took place from June 3 to 25, and on Aug. 25, the commission will confirm all candidates, parties, and coalitions registered in the polls.

So far, the most prominent coalition announced is between the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM) which currently hold 11 and one seats respectively in the Kurdistan Region Parliament.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany