Kurdistan Region parties discuss new proposal for regional parliamentary elections

According to Kurdistan 24's correspondent in Erbil, the new proposal suggests amending the elections law by dividing the region into multiple election constituencies, a demand pushed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Movement for Change (Gorran), and the Islamic political parties.
Leaders of Kurdish political parties in a meeting with Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Erbil, Kurdistan Region, May 26, 2022. (Photo: UNAMI)
Leaders of Kurdish political parties in a meeting with Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Erbil, Kurdistan Region, May 26, 2022. (Photo: UNAMI)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The political parties of the Kurdistan Region met again with senior officials from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to discuss a new proposal for the upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections on Tuesday. 

Kurdistan Region Deputy President Mustafa Sayid Qadir headed the meeting of the Kurdistan Region's parties, represented by their election bureaus' heads, with UNAMI.

According to Kurdistan 24's correspondent in Erbil, the new proposal suggests amending the elections law by dividing the region into multiple election constituencies, a demand pushed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Movement for Change (Gorran), and the Islamic political parties. 

These parties also demand the distribution of the quota seats reserved for minority representatives among the Kurdistan Region's provinces. 

UNAMI has been supporting the Kurdistan Region's political process by inviting the different parties to meet at the region's presidency and discuss obstacles that hinder the holding of regional parliamentary elections. 

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

The current election law rules that the Kurdistan Region is one election constituency, in which all the people in the Kurdistan Region can vote for any candidate anywhere in the region.

The current parliamentary term ends on Nov. 6. Elections must be held before that date. The Kurdistan Region President decreed that the next elections must be held on Oct. 1. 

The Kurdistan Region's Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC) mandate expired on Dec. 20, 2019. To renew its mandate, Kurdish lawmakers need to pass a new law.