KRG reaches agreement with Baghdad on non-oil revenues handover

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRG), announced on Thursday that an agreement has been reached with Baghdad regarding the handover of non-oil revenues to the federal government.

Transfer of Non-oil Revenues

Talabani stated, "We have reached an agreement on the transfer of non-oil revenues to the federal government," emphasizing that delegations from both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Iraqi government would determine the mechanism for this transfer.

He clarified that the KRG has no objections to sending non-oil revenues to Baghdad.

Kurdistan Parliamentary Elections to be Held This Year

Responding to inquiries about the timing of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, Talabani confirmed, "Yes, elections will be held in the Kurdistan Region this year."

The Electoral Judiciary, under the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, responded to complaints from communities in the Kurdistan Region by allocating five seats out of the total 100 in the Kurdistan Parliament for these communities. This means that there will be 95 general seats, while the remaining five will be reserved for various communities.

On Tuesday, May 21, 2024, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court upheld the decision of the electoral judiciary, specifying the distribution of the five community seats among the provinces of the Kurdistan Region:

1. Erbil: Two seats (one for Christians and one for Turkmen).

2. Sulaimani: Two seats (one for Christians and one for Turkmen).

3. Duhok: One seat for Armenians.

Jumana al-Ghalai, spokesperson for the Iraqi Independent High Election Commission (IHEC), informed Kurdistan24 that the commissioners would convene again to redistribute the remaining 95 seats in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).