KRG, Iraqi planning ministers address upcoming census

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Planning Minister Dara Rashid on Monday met with Iraqi Planning Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim on Monday.

Both sides discussed preparations for an upcoming general population census in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

During the meeting, the KRG minister stressed to his Iraqi counterpart that the Kurdistan Region supports the nationwide census.

Meanwhile, Mr. Tamim stated that the census is to be devoid of any political influence and that it would play a significant role in the development of the country and the provision of services.

Iraq’s last full census was conducted in 1987. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the country’s planned census in 2020, albeit political issues had hampered prior efforts for previous decades as well.

Despite the optimism, however, one continuous dispute in previous census attempts has been the Kurdish refusal to undergo such a tally while the issue of Kirkuk remains.

Kurdish parties have voiced concerns over the “demographic changes” that have taken place in Kirkuk province following the events of Oct. 16, 2017, in which Kurdish forces were ousted by Iranian-backed Shiite militias and the Iraqi army.

Since then, a significant number of Arab families have moved into the province, threatening the historically Kurdish-majority demographics of certain areas.

In addition, the 1970s saw the Ba'athist regime beginning a massive campaign to change the demography of the province, resettling Arabs and seizing lands owned by Kurds, who today often resort to using Ottoman-era titles and deeds to prove their case.

Ratified in 2005, Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution stipulates that the status of the province is to be decided by conducting a census, followed by a referendum, and ensuing de-Arabization of the area.