UNAMI, US support holding Kurdistan elections on time: Mala Bakhtiar

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Mala Bakhtiar, a member of the Senior Political and Interests Council of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), said the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the United States government support holding Kurdistan parliamentary elections on time. 

"There is a hope that Kurdistan elections would be held on time," Bakhtiar told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday. "Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), has the message from the UN for us to hold the elections on time." 

"The US Ambassador to Iraq has a similar message from his government, and he supports Hennis-Plasschaert's message," he added. "This means there is an insistence by those parties [UN and US] to hold the elections on time."

"It doesn't matter if the elections were delayed for a few months, but it is important to hold a fair and transparent election." 

UNAMI has invited representatives of Kurdish political parties for "a joint closed meeting," Hennis-Plasschaert tweeted on Monday evening that 

Read More: UNAMI head invites Kurdish parties for 'joint closed meeting'

The tweet follows meetings between Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and leading officials from several Kurdish parties, including the President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Bafel Talabani, on Sunday. 

"It was affirmed that resolving the differences among political parties and their unity, especially between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), will have a positive impact on developments in the Kurdistan Region and strengthens Kurdistan's standing in Baghdad," read the Kurdistan Region's Presidency statement on those meetings.

Read More: KDP, PUK delegations to meet in Erbil: Official

Bakhtiar explained to the Kurdistan 24 correspondent that the political problems in Iraq are caused by Shiite groups competing over the position of prime minister.

"Iraq's political deadlock has nothing to do with Kurds' competition over the president's position," he said. 

Bakhtiar underlined that "if Iraq had implemented the constitution, including Article 140, we wouldn't have problems between Erbil and Baghdad or problems over oil and gas."

"The question is: why the Iraqi government doesn't solve the problems of budget, salaries, Peshmerga, and the law of oil and gas?" he said. "That's why the Iraqi government should be held accountable for all the problems."