Kurdistan Region President sets June 10th for parliamentary elections

According to the decree, all relevant parties are required to collaborate with the Independent High Electoral Commission to ensure the smooth implementation of this decision.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani signing the decree, March 3, 2024. (Photo: Kurdistan Region Presidency)
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani signing the decree, March 3, 2024. (Photo: Kurdistan Region Presidency)

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has signed a decree setting the date for the upcoming parliamentary elections, according to a readout from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

“In accordance with the second paragraph of Article 10 of the Presidency Law No. 1 of 2005, as amended, President Nechirvan Barzani has decided that the general elections for the sixth term of the Kurdistan Parliament will take place on June 10th, 2024,” the statement read.

According to the decree, all relevant parties are required to collaborate with the Independent High Electoral Commission to ensure the smooth implementation of this decision.

As soon as the decree is issued, all necessary measures must be taken, per the statement.

Due to political infighting, the Kurdistan Region parties could not agree on amending the election law last year, triggering the extension of the current Kurdistan Parliament term by a year.

The Iraqi Supreme Court in August 2023, issued its verdict on the extension, calling it “unconstitutional.”

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and President Nechirvan Barzani have reiterated their calls for holding the elections on time and without further delay.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has also called on the political parties to hold the polls on time.

On Feb. 21, the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq ruled to decrease the Kurdistan Region parliament seats from 111 to 100. Those eleven seats were dedicated to Kurdistan Region minorities.

Read More: Kurdistan Region parliament seats reduced to 100 by the Iraqi federal Supreme Court

Every four years, Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections are held to elect the 111 members. The election was first held in 1992 and the most recent election was held in 2018.

Dawid Salman, the Director of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission, previously told Kurdistan24 that there are 3.6 million eligible voters in the Kurdistan Region.