The Kurdistan Democratic Party released a statement on reactivating Electoral Commission and Parliamentary Election

Regarding our position, efforts, initiatives, and discussions on holding the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliamentary elections within its legal deadline this year. We aim to focus on our tasks and prevent any obstacles that may hinder the elections. We hereby declare the following points to the people of Iraq, the international community, the United Nations, and diplomatic envoys in the Kurdistan Region:

 
1.    Our party firmly believes in the democratic process and the peaceful transfer of power. We consider the people as the source of legitimacy of power, achieved through free and fair elections. President Barzani's speech on Newroz in 1991 in Koya, where he explicitly called for the establishment of the rule of law, free elections, and the transformation of revolutionary legitimac A few days ago, we proudly celebrated the 31st anniversary of the first parliamentary elections of the Kurdistan Parliament.

2.    The elections for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament were supposed to have been held before 6 November 2022. His Excellency, President of the Kurdistan Region, had set a date for the election, and since 3 November 2021, our party's Parliamentary Bloc in the Kurdistan Parliament has made all the necessary parliamentary, legal, and political efforts to ensure all blocs are prepared for the reactivation of the Electoral Commission. Our party agreed to give confidence to the commission with the same composition and fil the two vacancies. Unfortunately, the other blocs did not reach an agreement. Consequently, we had no choice but to agree with the other blocs before 6 November 2022, with law no. (12) 2022, passed in the ordinary session number (11) on 9 October 2022, to extend the fifth session until 31 December 2023. Law no. 12 clearly states that  the parliament must take steps to hold elections before that date.

3.    To hold elections in 2023, our party's Political Bureau announced our party's position in an official statement during the meeting held on 18 January 2023. We agreed to amend the electoral law and use Iraqi parliamentary statistics as the basis for the amendment. Throughout January and February of this year, our cadres in the parliament made several attempts to hold an extraordinary session to amend the electoral law and reactivate the commission. Unfortunately, some other parties did not show seriousness in conducting these meetings.

4.    With the start of the fifth session's spring season on 1 March 2023, our party's bloc submitted a bill to amend the electoral law. However, the parliamentary session prevented the reading of the bill and the reactivation of the Electoral Commission.

5.    The Political Bureau of our party, along with our cadres in parliament, engaged in continuous discussions with the Patriotic Union and other parties during political meetings in parliament and meetings with foreign envoys. We emphasised the importance of the speaker of parliament announcing a parliamentary session to discuss the proposed amendment to the electoral law, supported by the PUK, Gorran, Islamic Union, Justice Group (Islamic Group), New Generation, and other components. Unfortunately, there was no readiness to convene a meeting on electoral issues.

6.    Regarding the components, our party's position has been clear from the beginning: the Kurdistan Region is the homeland of all those who live on it, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, religion, and sect. Their representation in parliament is one of the greatest sources of pride for our people and should not be reversed. When it comes to the seats of the components, we have always emphasised that the representatives should have the autonomy to decide for themselves, and we, as the KDP, will adhere to it. In their meetings with UNAMI and based on UNAMI's report on the meetings with the components in February 2023, it became evident that 95% of the communities want the Kurdistan Region to be a single constituency for the election of their representatives. In response, at the request of the KDP and PUK, the Presidency of the Kurdistan Parliament, in the presence of UNAMI representatives, held a meeting on 13 March 2023, in the parliament hall with the representatives of the components. Some of them requested to have their own election list and not receive special votes from the military and security forces. Our party will respect the will of these communities and support any suggestions, decisions, and changes regarding the format of their elections.

7. Our party is serious about holding the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliamentary elections and therefore His Excellency Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, who is also the Deputy President of our party, signed the Regional Decree No. (90) on 26/3/2023  determined the elections of the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliament.  Also, by His Excellency Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, who is also the Deputy President of our party, by order number (1472) on April 16, 2023, all relevant parties were instructed to provide the requirements for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliament.

8- The Election Department of the KDP Political Bureau in all their meetings with the electoral officials of the parties and electoral experts in UNAMI, constantly emphasized the commitment to hold elections this year. Use the Iraqi statistics which have taken all necessary steps to distribute seats among the provinces.

Even now, with less than six months left to hold the elections on 18/11/2023, KDP insists that all parties should take practical steps to succeed by holding the elections, not just playing and as KDP we request to take following steps. 

 1. The Kurdistan Parliament should fulfill its legal duty to amend the electoral law and all the proposals submitted by KDP and other parties, put on the agenda and give them the first reading and give them urgent need to be discussed.  Use Iraqi statistics and the desire of the communities for their own registration should be the basis for the joint report of the blocs so that the second reading and voting together as soon as possible.

 

2. We call on all representatives of countries and UNAMI to cooperate with this process and take into account the position of KDP and anyone who creates obstacles to these steps to be informed of the anti-democratic and anti-election position.

3. We call on all political parties and parliamentary blocs to support and cooperate to the success of this democratic process.

 

 4. We appreciate the efforts and position of KDP blocs in the Kurdistan Parliament, the Presidency and other blocs to vote and re-activate the Independent Election Commission in today's session on May 22,

 

 5. We instruct our bloc in the Kurdistan Parliament to continue to fulfill their parliamentary duties in coordination and cooperation with other blocs in the parliament.

 Political Bureau

 Kurdistan Democratic Party