Nechirvan Barzani: The low election turnout is a clear message of dissatisfaction with the political process

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Tuesday that the low turnout in Iraqi national elections earlier this month was a barometer of the people’s dissatisfaction with the political process.

Barzani argued that, compared with previous elections, the 2021 vote had higher levels of scrutiny regarding the process and results.

"Certainly there are criticisms and complaints about the results, but the election was successful and we passed an important and very good stage," he said. 

"If we look at the percentage of participation in the elections," he added, "it was low and this is a warning bell and a clear message from the people of the need to improve." 

He made the comments in a speech he gave at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) forum in Erbil.

In Barzani's view, the real danger would be if the public loses confidence in the legitimacy of the electoral process.

"The Iraqi citizen needs a better life than the current one," he said. "So far, the Iraqi people only suffer from poor services."

"What we want in Iraq is the implementation of the constitution, and in 2003, when we participated in the Iraqi government, we wanted to develop Iraq and even sent the Peshmerga forces to Baghdad to protect the political process," he added.

He called on all Kurdish parties to unite in the Iraqi capital.

Barzani also noted that "the Sunnis of Iraq constantly fear the future of Iraq, the Shiites talk about the past and fear its repetition, and the Kurds have fears of the past and the future."

He said that Baghdad should change its way of thinking about the Kurds, and explained that Kurdish participation in the elections aims to "help Iraq".

"I believe that implementing the constitution is a fundamental principle for the success of any future government over the next four years," he said.