Kurdish coalition to run in early Iraqi elections
ERBIL, KRG, Iraq (North Press) – Ali Muhammad Amin, head of the electoral center of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Kirkuk, revealed on Tuesday efforts to form a Kurdish coalition to run in the early Iraqi elections, scheduled to take place on October 10.
Amin stressed in an interview with North Press that early elections require intense and cooperative efforts by Kurdish forces in order to form a strong coalition.
The Electoral Commission continues its preparations for early parliamentary elections on October 10, provided that polling takes place in accordance with a new electoral law that narrows the scope of electoral districts.
There is much talk about races between political parties to achieve the strongest coalition to obtain the largest number of votes in the elections.
As for the disputed areas, and given the security and political challenges, the electoral process in them is more difficult, according to observers.
Amin endorsed these visions and said that Kirkuk is a complex region and working in it is difficult, but despite that, the Kurdish parties held a series of meetings in order to form a unified list or a coalition to run in the next elections.
“Work is still ongoing in this context,” Amin added.
“We seek to form a unified Kurdish list in the districts of the disputed areas, from Sinjar in the west to Khanaqin in the east,” Amin said.
He stressed that the status of these areas requires a Kurdish coalition that guarantees the rights of Kurds in the disputed areas.
In 2018, the PUK was the only Kurdish party that ran in the elections in Kirkuk, winning half of the 12 parliamentary seats allocated to the governorate after the Kurdistan Democratic Party refused to participate in protest against what it described as the occupation of Kirkuk on October 17, 2017.
According to the Iraqi High Commission for Elections, the participation rate in the previous elections, which witnessed great controversy, was only half the number of voters who are entitled to participate in the vote, amounting to 24,349,357 voters.