Potential delay looms for Iraqi Kurdistan's parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, scheduled for 25 February, might be delayed again due to legal and political issues in the country.

Jumana Al-Ghalay, spokesperson of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), said to The New Arab that preparations are underway for holding the election in time.

"IHEC is ready to hold parliamentary elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan region in time as all preparations have been made, and soon we will announce the timetable for the electoral process," Al-Ghalay said.

However, the IHEC's legal mandate will expire on 7 January, and the Iraqi parliament will go on winter vacation two days later. Hence, the much-delayed parliamentary election in the northern Iraqi enclave might be delayed again because there are significant differences in the Iraqi legislators regarding electing a new electoral commission.  

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"This issue should be resolved by the Iraqi lawmakers, God willing, it will be resolved by next year," Ghalay added.

Another obstacle that may hinder holding the vote in due time is that Kurdish politicians from the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have filed lawsuits in Iraq's Supreme Federal Court asking for the dissolving of several articles about the minority's quota and the electoral districts in the region's election law. The court is expected to rule out the issue in its session on 19 this month.

PUK, a rival to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has claimed that the latter is exploiting the minority's quota for its partisan ends and appointing lawmakers who do not represent their communities. 

Aram Jamal, an expert in elections who has diligently monitored the majority of polls in the Kurdistan region, said to TNA that there is little possibility that the elections will be adjourned.

"The Iraqi parliament should renew IHEC's mandate to supervise the region's elections even via an irregular session. A draft bill is ready, and most political sides agree that the IHEC's mandate will be renewed for six months," Jamal said.

He also said that if Iraq's supreme federal court dissolves the minority quota, it should find an alternative to allocating the seats for them. He noted that voter turnout is related to the upcoming political and economic situations in Iraq and the Kurdistan region.  

Iraq's Federal Supreme Court, however, on 31 May ruled against extending the term of the Kurdistan region's parliament as contrary to the country's constitution, declaring the Kurdish legislature as terminated and ordering the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to supervise fresh general elections in the region. 

The last parliamentary election, held in September 2018, witnessed a low turnout of 57% and was marred by alleged large-scale voter fraud by the Barzani clan's KDP and Talabani clan's PUK.

The Kurdistan parliament includes 111 seats; women have a minimum quota of 30 per cent, while 11 seats are allocated to parties that represent minority groups.