‘Our Battle Is in Baghdad Too’: KDP VP Barzani Urges Strong Kurdish Voice in Iraq’s Parliament

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In a powerful and deeply personal address that celebrated the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) legacy of sacrifice and its modern record of transformative development, KDP Vice President Masrour Barzani on Monday officially launched the party's election campaign in Duhok, framing the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary election as a critical new frontline in the long struggle to defend the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan.

Speaking to a massive and enthusiastic crowd, the KDP Vice President declared that the time has come to move a part of the Kurdish struggle to the arena of the Iraqi Parliament, describing the party's candidates as "Peshmergas in that battle" who must fight to prevent hostile plans and to ensure the full implementation of the constitution.

He issued a powerful call for a massive voter turnout, arguing that a strong KDP presence in Baghdad is the only way to overcome the obstacles that have been deliberately placed in the path of Kurdistan's progress.

The campaign launch in Duhok was the culmination of a powerful, three-day, region-wide display of the KDP's organizational strength and political unity. The events began on Saturday with a massive public carnival in the Kurdistani city of Kirkuk, followed on Sunday by a formal, leadership-driven inauguration of the campaign in the capital, Erbil, held in the presence of the party's revered leader, President Masoud Barzani. The rally in Duhok, a traditional and vital stronghold for the party, completed this strategic trifecta.

In his speech, KDP VP Barzani began by expressing his happiness to be gathering with the people of Duhok once again, this time for the federal Iraqi parliamentary elections.

"I hope that, as always, the Kurdistan Democratic Party's list, List 275, will achieve a great victory, God willing," he began. "With God's help and the loyalty of the children of the heroic Peshmerga, the dedicated cadres of the Party, and the resilient supporters of the Barzani path, we are certain that we will succeed this time as well. However, we must achieve the greatest victory on the level of all of Iraq."

He then laid out the core mission for the party's candidates, who he described as the "true representatives of the people of Kurdistan."

"We are sending [them] to Baghdad so they can defend the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan there," he stated. He acknowledged the burden placed on voters during election seasons, but explained its critical necessity.

"We have seen numerous times that if the Party does not have an effective and strong participation in a certain place, and someone else represents the people of Kurdistan, the rights of the Kurdistan Region are always violated," he argued. "Therefore, it is critically important that the true representatives of the people of Kurdistan, who are the representatives of the Party, are the ones who win and represent you all."

The KDP Vice President then relayed two key messages from President Barzani's address at the Erbil campaign launch the previous day.

The first was a reaffirmation of the party's core duty:

"Every loyal Party member must remain steadfast in defending the constitutional rights of the people of Kurdistan." 

The second was a defiant message to the party's opponents:

"Stop tiring yourselves, because the KDP cannot be broken." 

The KDP Vice President elaborated on this point with deep conviction.

"We also believe that the Party will not break, because President Barzani is our leader," he declared. "Our path is filled with sacrifice, the efforts of the heroic Peshmerga, and the blood of Kurdistan's martyrs... as long as the spirits of our martyrs are with us, and the prayers of the families of the martyrs and the mothers of the martyrs are with us, and as long as this resilient public is with us, the Party will never be broken."

He then pivoted to the central strategic argument of his speech: the direct and profound impact that the political battles in Baghdad have on the daily lives of the people in the Kurdistan Region.

"We have seen in the past how many obstacles have been placed before us, and how many plans were plotted against the Kurdistan Region to prevent us from succeeding," he said. "It is important that in the places where plans are made against the people of Kurdistan... we move a part of our struggle to that arena. Today, that arena is the Iraqi Parliament." 

He drew a sharp contrast between the KDP's focus on service with that of its opponents. "Other people take pride in having prevented the programs of the Kurdistan Regional Government from advancing," he stated. "But we take pride in the fact that within the arena of the Kurdistan Region, we have always been in the service of our nation, and we have never compromised on the rights of our nation."

A strong presence in Baghdad, he argued, would have allowed the KRG to be even more successful in its development agenda.

"Our capabilities and all our strength and power were often divided—partly to serve you, and partly to stand against those plans and programs that were designed against you," he explained. "If we had the opportunity there... then undoubtedly all our strength and energy would be dedicated to serving Kurdistan, and as developed as Kurdistan is, it would have been two or three times more developed."

He sought to reframe the debate, moving it beyond immediate budgetary concerns to the fundamental, existential issues at stake.

"Our issue is not about salaries; our issue is about national identity. It's about our land, the entity of Kurdistan, the rights of the people of Kurdistan, and coexistence," he declared.

Adding with pride:

"Today Kurdistan is a model of coexistence for all nations and religions."

The KDP Vice President then presented a detailed and compelling list of the Ninth Cabinet's achievements, which he said are the direct result of the KDP's leadership and the support of the people. He offered this record as the definitive answer to the question: "Why the Party and not someone else?"

He began by highlighting the immense fiscal disparity the KRG has faced. "Up to this point, we have only received five percent of the Iraqi revenue," he revealed, while the Kurdistan Region's population, according to final statistics, is fourteen percent of Iraq's total.

"The achievements in the Kurdistan Region are with five percent of the revenue, for fourteen percent of the population of all of Iraq," he stated, challenging anyone to "come and compare whether the progress is in the Kurdistan Region today or in any other city in Iraq."

He then detailed a series of transformative projects that have defined his government's agenda. He spoke of the "Runaki" program, a landmark initiative to solve the thirty-year-old problem of electricity shortages, which he said is on track to provide 24-hour electricity to the entirety of Kurdistan by 2026.

He highlighted the strategic construction of numerous dams and ponds to manage precious water resources and support the agricultural sector. He pointed to the massive projects to deliver clean drinking water to cities and towns across the region, from Erbil and Akre to Sulaimani and Chamchamal.

He celebrated the extensive construction of new roads and highways, which he said have significantly reduced traffic accidents and the suffering of citizens.

And he detailed the "My Account" initiative, a project to create a modern, international-standard banking system for the Kurdistan Region, which he described as a "turning point for advancing the economic infrastructure."

He also touched on the digitalization of government services to reduce bureaucracy and the serious efforts to improve the healthcare sector, with the goal of reversing medical tourism and making Kurdistan a destination for treatment.

KDP VP Masrour Barzani directly contrasted this record of service with what he described as the obstructionist tactics of the KDP's political opponents.

"Here, we laid out programs on how to serve the people of Kurdistan. Other parties laid out programs on how to prevent us from serving the people of Kurdistan. This is the difference between us and them," he declared. "We are in your service; they are an obstacle to us serving you."

He went further, accusing these other parties, including some Kurdish parties, of being unhappy with the success and progress of Kurdistan precisely because "they too know: Kurdistan means the Party, and the Party means Kurdistan."

Having laid out this stark choice, KDP VP Masrour Barzani urged the party's candidates and supporters to go to the people with this record of achievement with pride.

"Tell them to vote for us because we have made our chests a shield for you, to protect the honor and dignity of our nation," he charged. "Tell them to vote for us because we were the ones who always stood against the enemies of this nation. Tell them to vote for us because we believe in the future of this nation, we believe in the destiny of this nation, and what we have done so far are the initial, beginning steps towards much greater achievements."

The KDP Vice President concluded his powerful and wide-ranging address with a final, direct appeal to the people of Duhok and all of Kurdistan.

"I don't want you to imagine it's in Baghdad and not important for us. Yes, it is important for us," he reiterated. "Because those obstacles that are created for us there are obstructing the progress of Kurdistan."

He called on the party's supporters to visit every home in every city and village and to carry a simple message: "We want to be supporters, give us your vote so we can serve you more."

Acknowledging past complaints about a lack of services in the Badinan area, he made a firm pledge of non-discrimination, promising to deliver services to every village and town, from Zakho and Amedi to Bardarash and Batifa. "Our caravan has set off, and God willing, it will continue until the final stage," he declared. "With God's help and your support, under the shadow of President Barzani, we will always be victorious. And from this moment on, I congratulate you all on the victory of List 275."