KDP VP Frames Election as a Battle for Coexistence and Constitutional Federalism

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – In a major election rally that cast the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections as a critical battle for the future of both the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Vice President Nechirvan Barzani on Friday declared that it is essential for the KDP to emerge as the first and strongest party in the diverse and strategically vital province of Nineveh.

Speaking to a large gathering of supporters and candidates in Duhok province, Barzani framed a strong KDP presence in Baghdad not as a narrow partisan interest, but as a national necessity for restoring balance, ensuring peace and prosperity, and, most crucially, forcing the implementation of an Iraqi constitution that he argued has been consistently violated by a powerful and persistent centralist mentality in the federal capital.

The campaign event, held to rally support for the KDP's candidates in the vast Nineveh province, saw KDP VP Barzani deliver a comprehensive and forceful speech that touched upon the core themes of the KDP's electoral platform: coexistence, constitutional rights, and the defense of federalism.

He began by acknowledging the unique and profound importance of the region his audience represented.

"You are representatives of a very vast and important area for the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq," he said, addressing the candidates and their supporters. "It is a very vast area, with all nations and religions, your area is a small Iraq."

This characterization of Nineveh as a "small Iraq" served as the foundation for his central argument: that the KDP, with its long history of promoting coexistence and protecting minority rights, is uniquely positioned to represent the complex mosaic of the province.

He asserted that a strong KDP in Baghdad is not a threat to other components but a force for stability and shared progress.

"The strengthening of the KDP in Baghdad is for balance and working together and for the interest of the Nineveh area and the interest of the Kurdistan Region and all of Iraq," he stated.

He then made a direct and powerful appeal, framing the election's primary goal in clear and uncompromising terms: "For the future of Kurdistan and Iraq, the KDP must be first in Nineveh, this is our promise in this election."

KDP VP Nechirvan Barzani argued that the KDP's track record is a testament to the positive outcomes that its strength brings.

"Wherever the KDP is strong, there is peace and prosperity, there is civility and progress," he declared.

He positioned a victory for the KDP not just as a win for the party, but as a win for the entire province and all of its diverse communities. "Therefore before it is in the interest of the KDP, it is in the interest of Nineveh province for the KDP to be strong, it is in the interest of the religious components, the ethnic components, so the KDP must be strong."

The KDP Vice President issued a clear call to action, urging all supporters to mobilize for the vote on November 11.

"We must go to the ballot box on the 11th of 11 and vote for KDP list 275," he said. He emphasized that the KDP's task in Nineveh is particularly challenging precisely because of the province's diversity, which he said has at times been exploited by those who seek to sow discord.

"No person or party can or is allowed to disrupt the coexistence of Nineveh," he warned. He challenged the party's candidates and supporters to rise to this occasion, stating, "You must prove your ability and strength as always, and lead KDP list 275 to a great victory."

Pivoting to the national stage, KDP VP Barzani reminded the audience of the KDP's foundational role in the creation of the post-2003 "new Iraq." He noted that the

"KDP played a major role in the liberation of Iraq in 2003" and that "the leadership of the KDP had a major role in writing the constitution of Iraq."

However, he recounted how the promise of that new era was derailed by instability and conflict. "After which Iraq fell into a state of security instability, then the war of ISIS turned towards Iraq, you saw Iraq fall into turmoil," he said.

He pointedly attributed the emergence of the terrorist group to the failures of the state, stating that "ISIS was created as a result of a wrong policy, and the indifference of some people in Iraq."

This history, he argued, makes the current moment a "very sensitive and important stage," one that is defined by the struggle to implement the very constitution the KDP helped to write.

"For the future of the Kurdistan Region, the KDP must be strong, so we must go to the ballot box with enthusiasm and vigor," he reiterated.

A central theme of his critique of the current state of Iraqi governance was the profound gap between the country's constitutional framework and its political reality.

"Iraq is a federal system, but this federalism is not practiced in Iraq, rather Iraq is run with a very strong centralism," he stated.

This failure to embrace true federalism, he argued, is the root cause of the country's chronic political crises. "So we all see that Iraq always has problems over Article 140 and the Peshmerga and salaries and other topics that are the result of not implementing the constitution," he stated.

He vowed that a strong KDP delegation in the next parliament would be a force to counter this centralist trend. "The KDP has prepared itself for the consolidation and implementation of the constitution, because the catastrophe occurred when the constitution was not implemented," he said.

He framed the role of the KDP's representatives in Baghdad as being defenders not just of Kurdish rights, but of the rights of all Iraqis who have been wronged by the central government's overreach.

"The representatives of Kurdistan are not representatives of Kurdistan alone," he declared. "The duty of these representatives is to defend any component that is wronged, so they must represent all of Iraq."

In his concluding remarks, Nechirvan Barzani painted a clear picture of a KDP ready to lead a national movement for constitutionalism and federalism.

By positioning the party as the guardian of coexistence in Nineveh and the champion of the constitution in Baghdad, he sought to elevate the stakes of the election from a simple contest for seats to a defining moment in the ongoing struggle to shape the very character and future of the Iraqi state.

His message was one of promise and resolve: that a strong KDP in Nineveh is the first and most critical step toward building a more stable, just, and truly federal Iraq for all its peoples.