KRG Christian Minister Urges Christian Voters to Safeguard Representation in Parliamentary Elections
“It is important for all Christians to go and vote for those who truly represent them,” he said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister of Transport and Communications Ano Jawhar Abdoka on Tuesday called on Christian communities across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to actively participate in the ongoing parliamentary elections to preserve their independent political voice.
Speaking to Kurdistan24, Abdoka emphasized that voter turnout among Christians is vital to ensure that their seats are not claimed by organizations acting outside the framework of the law.
“It is important for all Christians to go and vote for those who truly represent them,” he said. “We, as Christians—Chaldeans, Assyrians, Syriacs, and Armenians—will not accept anyone claiming to represent us in the name of militias and armed groups. We will not allow them to steal our will.”
The minister expressed appreciation to supporters across the region, voicing confidence in the electoral process. “We can win, and we will win,” he affirmed.
General voting for the sixth session of the Iraqi parliament began at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday and will continue until 6:00 p.m. across all Iraqi and the Kurdistan Region provinces.
According to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), more than 20 million citizens are eligible to vote nationwide, including over 2.8 million voters in the Kurdistan Region.
This year’s elections feature 38 political parties, 31 coalitions, and 75 individual lists, with a total of 7,768 candidates—5,520 men and 2,248 women—competing for seats in Iraq’s Council of Representatives.
This vote is under a new electoral system introduced after the 2018 elections and nationwide protests from 2019 to 2021, shifting from proportional representation to a single non-transferable vote system in 83 multi-member constituencies.
