PUK reiterates call for timely parliamentary elections in Kurdistan
Shafaq News / The Political Bureau of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) reiterated its stance on the necessity of holding parliamentary elections at their scheduled time by the KurdistanRegion Presidency on the 10th of June next.
PUK’s Political Bureau stated that “it held a meeting in Dabashan to discuss the latest preparations and the election office's program under the PUK in this regard. “Overall, all parties are committed to the deadline set by the Region Presidency and the preparations made by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).”
The Political Bureau meeting emphasized the importance of conducting free and democratic elections, highlighting them as fundamental indicators of the democratic process and essential for preserving the constitutional entity and status of the Region.
A portion of the meeting was dedicated to evaluating the recent diplomatic visit of PUK leader Bafel Talabani to Russia and their meetings in Moscow.
The PUK meeting comes following the IHEC's announcement in Erbil that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) did not submit its participation documents for the Region elections.
Notably, in March, the KDP declared its decision to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections in KRI, warning of potential withdrawal from Iraq's political process.
The decision came after the Federal Supreme Court took verdicts regarding the Kurdish elections, including canceling the quota seats, dividing the Region into four constituencies instead of the single-constituency system in previous elections, and Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to take over from KRG's electoral commission to supervise parliamentary elections.
"We believe that it is in the interest of our people and our country not to comply with an unconstitutional decision and a system imposed from outside the will of the people of Kurdistan and its constitutional institutions and not to participate in elections conducted contrary to the law, the constitution, and under the umbrella of an imposed electoral system." KDP statement said.
Notably, KDP is a prominent political force in Iraqi Kurdistan. It is the oldest Kurdish political Party in Iraq.
In the current Kurdish Parliament, the Party holds 45 seats out of 111, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 21 seats and the Gorran Movement with 12 seats.
