Iraq's Kurdish parties agree on election law

A group of Kurdish parties have agreed on an electoral system to hold parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), the parties announced in a statement on Saturday.

Seven Kurdish parties, which included the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), agreed on a four-constituency electoral system for the provinces of the IKR.

The group agreed to obtain data from the ministry of planning in the federal government to determine the percentage of seats for each district.

The group also approved the use of the biometric voter registration system.

The parties said they will hold consultations with leaders of the Kurdistan parliament, parliamentary blocs, and representatives of the various communities, according to the statement.

The agreement came after Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani of the KDP said in a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month that he will announce a date for elections this year.

The IKR holds parliamentary elections every four years.