‘We seek true partnership in Baghdad that protects rights of Kurds’: KDP official

“We look to form a consensus government, not a majority government.”
Vian Sabri, Iraqi Parliament Member, during an interview at Kurdistan 24 Studio. October 23, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Vian Sabri, Iraqi Parliament Member, during an interview at Kurdistan 24 Studio. October 23, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leadership Council member and Iraqi parliament member Vian Sabri told Kurdistan 24 on Saturday that her party seeks to form a government based on true partnership in Baghdad that protects the rights of all Kurds.

The United Nations Security Council stated that the Iraqi 2021 election process was fair, and the council has praised the role of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in successfully conducting this process,” Sabri explained to Kurdistan 24.

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“However, so far, some Shia political blocks haven’t recognized the results of the elections, and their supporters went to the streets to protest.”

Sabri noted that there likely is "a foreign hand" behind these protesting political entities, who appear to want to increase their seat count with their protests.

“The KDP's election program includes a stable country, obtaining the Peshmerga their rights, implementing article 140, issuing an oil and gas law, conducting the general census, establishing the federation council, and having a fair budget,” Sabri said.

“People’s expectation from KDP is increasing year after year, and as such, KDP needs to do more and more year after year.”

Vian Sabri, Iraqi Parliament Member, during an interview at Kurdistan 24 Studio. October 23, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)
Vian Sabri, Iraqi Parliament Member, during an interview at Kurdistan 24 Studio. October 23, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

“We look to form A consensus government, not a majority government in Baghdad.

Commenting on the demands of the protesting political blocks to conduct a manual recount of all votes, Sabri stressed that such a measure by the IHEC is neither acceptable nor ideal.

“The IHEC spent a massive budget on conducting electronic voting… Now it doesn’t make any sense to manually recount all the votes again,” the KDP official explained. “This election was the cleanest Iraqi election since 2005.

Sabri said that no single political party or coalition won 165 seats, the number needed to form a government. Therefore, she added, political consensus needs to be reached among the winners of the elections to form a new government.

The official said that the KDP is the leading party in the Kurdistan Region, and it has already started meeting with political parties from the region to form a united Kurdish voice.

“What is important for KDP is to go to Baghdad as one united voice and with one program,” Sabri said. “However, we can’t solve all the outstanding problems overnight, but we will do our best, and the united Kurdish voice will significantly help that.”

“The situation right now is a bit complicated, but accepting the results of the elections by all the Shia blocks will help the process, and I expect from them to eventually accept the election results.”