Kurdistan PM: Iraqi election will hopefully be 'far from attempts at fraud and violence'

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met on Saturday with Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel, the Head of the European Union's Election Observation Mission, and her accompanying delegation in Erbil.

A statement issued by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stated that during the meeting, Von Cramon-Taubadel "presented an overview of the mission's work, including specific measures aimed at monitoring the voting process for Iraqi parliamentary elections, and indicated that the mission's work is limited to monitoring the progress of the electoral process and not interfering in it in any way."

Read More: EU observers will only observe, not interfere in Iraqi elections: official

The prime minister voiced "appreciation for the important role played by the European Union in monitoring the elections, expressing his hope that the electoral process will be conducted in a peaceful and fair atmosphere, far from attempts at fraud and violence, especially in the Kurdish areas outside the administration of the region," referring to Kurdish-majority regions of Iraq's territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil.

This comes after multiple complaints claiming electoral violations having been registered so far, particularly in territories disputed by the federal government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

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Barzani also pledged the readiness of KRG institutions and departments for any and all necessary forms of coordination with the EU's mission.

On Friday, the head of the legal department for elections of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Hawar Mohammed, said that changes to Iraq's electoral system could be beneficial.

Read More: Some 5,000 observers to monitor Iraqi election, with special focus on disputed territories

The country, according to Iraq's newly-amended electoral law, is divided into 83 voting districts, while previous elections have had less than 20.

Mohammed told Kurdistan 24 that the new system "does not leave enough opportunities for fraud" when compared to the last parliamentary elections in 2018, which were marred by charges of fraud and manipulation.