U.S. Welcomes Setting of Date for Kurdish Elections

WASHINGTON DC, United States (Kurdistan 24) – Addressing journalists on Wednesday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller warmly welcomed the determination of a date for the long-delayed parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region.

Earlier on Wednesday, the office of the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani. had announced that the elections would be held on Oct. 20. 

Asked about that decision, Miller replied, “We welcome the announcement of parliamentary elections on October 20th in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”

“Elections are a vital element of the democratic process, and we expect the authorities to ensure that they are free, transparent, and occur without further delay,” he continued, “and we appreciate the Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s president’s efforts to reach agreement between all parties.”

With the date for the elections set, various other entities have joined in hailing the move. They include the Iraqi government. A Spokesperson for the government, Bassem al-Awadi, announced that it was fully prepared to support all the measures necessary to ensure the elections’ success.

"We will make every effort to increase the participation of our Kurdish citizens and all our brothers in the Kurdistan Region so that the results reflect true democratic principles,” he said. 

Read More: Iraqi government welcomes the date set for Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections

Somewhat similarly, Masoud Barzani, the long-time Kurdish leader and now head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), expressed his support for the upcoming vote. 

Read More: KDP President Masoud Barzani emphasizes his support for holding free and fair election

Barzani’s statement, as head of the KDP, carried particular weight. Elections were scheduled for February 25, 2024. The KDP then called for holding the vote without further delay, while it was Baghdad that delayed the vote.

Read More: U.S. Calls for Holding Kurdish Elections ‘At Earliest Opportunity’

The following month, however, in March, the KDP reversed itself and issued the surprise statement that it would not contest the elections.

Read More: KDP declines submission of candidates as deadline remains unextended

The KDP’s main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has never recovered from the death in 2017 of its founder, Jalal Talabani.The PUK is not the party it once was, and that has left the KDP the biggest, most popular political party in the Kurdistan Region. 

In the current parliament, for example, the KDP has 45 seats to the PUK’s 21. 

So why would the likely winner of the parliamentary elections announce a boycott? The KDP never explained that publicly, but as an informed source told Kurdistan 24, the KDP had sensitive information that Iran, through its proxies in Baghdad, intended to throw the vote against the KDP, which is much less friendly to Tehran than the PUK.

This  problem, however, appears to have been resolved, and, thus, the date for the elections has been set—with Masoud Barzani announcing the KDP’s support for the upcoming vote.