Kurdistan: the Glorious Past and the Exciting Future

[Anthea]

Decision on Overseas Voting

Kurds living abroad have voiced concern over a decision by Iraq’s Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) to bar Iraqi citizens living abroad from participating in the upcoming parliamentary elections, calling it a violation of their constitutional rights

Sarhad Ghafouri, head of the sixth branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Europe, told Kurdistan24 that despite having renewed their biometric registration and holding valid voting cards, Kurds in the diaspora have been denied the right to cast their ballots.

“Although Kurds in the diaspora have valid biometric cards, the commission has deprived them of the right to vote,” Ghafouri said. “We have decided to return. Hundreds of other Kurds abroad are on their way back to Kurdistan to vote.”

He explained that KDP branches abroad are organizing efforts to support the electoral process and the KDP’s List, which aims to defend the rights of the Kurdish people in Baghdad — rights he said “have been increasingly undermined by the federal government.”

Ghafouri also criticized IHEC’s decision not to set up ballot boxes abroad, calling it a clear breach of electoral law. “It is the second election, ballot boxes will not be placed abroad, which is against the law guaranteeing every Iraqi the right to vote and exercise their personal rights,” he said. “The commission knows that the Kurdish nation is wise and capable of defending its constitutional rights through parliament, which is why it has deprived us of this right.”

He noted that in previous elections, Kurds consistently participated in large numbers across European countries, where the Kurdistan Democratic Party received the majority of votes among Kurdish parties.

“The KDP has always earned the highest number of votes in Europe,” Ghafouri said, emphasizing the party’s strong support among the Kurdish diaspora.

IHEC announced in September that voting for the upcoming parliamentary elections will take place exclusively within Iraq, with no polling stations set up abroad. However, Iraqis living abroad who possess valid voting cards will still be able to return home to cast their ballots in their respective provinces.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai said that, as in the previous parliamentary election, ballot boxes will not be placed outside the country. This marks the second consecutive election cycle in which voting for Iraq’s Council of Representatives is confined to domestic polling stations.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/897582

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KDP Says It Distrusts Iraq’s Electoral Commission

The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) politburo executive body, Fazil Mirani, said his party does not trust the working methods of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), describing the upcoming parliamentary elections as important but “not decisive”

In an interview with Al Hadath channel on Saturday, Mirani said all Iraqi political forces must cooperate to address the country’s challenges. “Neither the situation of the Sunnis in Iraq is better than that of the Kurds, nor is the situation of the Shias better than that of the Kurds, so we must all work together to improve the situation,” he said.

He noted that the Kurdistan Region remains stable, with election campaigns progressing peacefully. “The security situation in the Kurdistan Region is stable, and thank God, no terrorist acts have occurred so far,” he added.

Mirani stressed that the KDP values not only the stability of the Kurdistan Region but also that of all Iraq, emphasizing the party’s belief in partnership and consensus. “Our message to the region and Iraq is that we are for the return of partnership, balance, and consensus. We are working to establish stability in the country and we want Iraq to become a sovereign country,” he said.

Addressing the electoral process, Mirani said the KDP has “legal observations” about the IHEC’s procedures. “As the KDP, we do not trust the commission’s working methods,” he said, expressing concern over transparency and fairness

He added that the party preferred the single-constituency election system over the multi-constituency one, arguing that under the current system, “any Kurdish candidate needs more than 20,000 votes to enter the Iraqi parliament.”

While describing elections as an important democratic practice, Mirani said they were “not decisive” in Iraq’s political reality. Still, he expressed confidence in the KDP’s strength, saying the party could secure “one million votes” in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

He added that significant political steps would follow the elections, reflecting the KDP’s strategic plans for governance and stability.

According to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, the campaign period for the sixth session of parliamentary elections began at midnight on October 3 and will end on November 8, ahead of the general vote set for November 11, 2025.

Across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, 21,404,291 citizens are eligible to vote—20,063,773 in the general vote and 1,313,980 in the special vote. A total of 38 political parties, 31 alliances, and 75 individual lists are competing, with 7,768 candidates—5,520 men and 2,248 women—registered

IHEC spokesperson Jumana Ghalai told Kurdistan 24 that 540 campaign violations have been recorded so far, including 62 committed before the official start of the campaign, all of which were fined. The commission has also disqualified 837 candidates from the elections.

Ghalai said that after voting ends, candidates will have one month to remove campaign posters and banners from public places. If they fail to do so, the commission, in coordination with municipal authorities, will undertake the task and deduct the cost from deposits paid by the candidates.

https://www.basnews.com/en/babat/897758

I have not trusted Iraq’s Electoral Commission since it sided with Bafel Talabani and the PUK in last years election. We all knew that the PUK was intimidating the voters at the polling stations

Sadly most of them were far too afraid to protest or put in official complaints, especially as they were told to do so would cost them their jobs

We all know that the traitor Bafel Talabani has been working with Iraq’s Electoral Commission, that was why he was so confident he would do well in last year's elections

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PUK, KDP campaign on disputed areas

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) both campaigned on messages of doing more for neglected or disputed areas in rallies held in Koya and Sheikhan on Saturday, two and a half weeks ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary election

Sheikhan, a disputed district in Nineveh, is the spiritual center of the Yazidis and home to diverse Kurdish, Christian, and Muslim communities. Its political significance stems from its position as a contested area between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the KDP maintains strong influence

“There is a lot more in our agenda to do for Sheikhan,” KDP deputy leader Nechirvan Barzani told supporters at the rally.

“The KDP has always tried to represent all components of Iraq,” he said, adding that the party wants to curb the migration of Christian communities and “help them stay on their own land.”

“It is a pleasure to see religious figures from Muslims, Christians, and Yazidis sitting here together,” he added.

Nineveh is among Iraq’s most important electoral battlegrounds, with 34 parliamentary seats contested by Kurdish, Sunni, and Shiite candidates. While Kurds and Sunnis dominated previous elections, Shiite parties are working to expand their presence in the province.

The KDP has set itself the goal of getting one million votes in the November 11 election. The party won 31 seats in the 2021 election, including nine from Nineveh. With 175 candidates nationwide - 61 of them in Nineveh - the KDP is fielding the largest list of any party in Iraq

“The party’s strength in Baghdad is the strength of Kurdistan,” Barzani said in Sheikhan.

“Our goal in Baghdad is the implementation of federalism and the constitution,” he added. “For 20 years, Iraq has suffered great disasters because it did not implement the constitution. Failing to do so does not only harm Kurdistan - Baghdad, Nineveh, and Basra have suffered equally from it.”

PUK leader Bafel Talabani on Saturday criticized the lack of public services in Koya, a town located in Erbil province.

Speaking at a campaign rally, Talabani said the area “is neglected, forgotten, and not served.”

He vowed that his party “will not enter a government unless we know that all cities in Kurdistan are seen and served the same way.” His comments were seen as a criticism of the KDP.

Best if the traitor Bafel Talabani stays out of government

The PUK and KDP are still in talks to form the next cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet, a year after the regional parliamentary elections. Addressing the political deadlock, Talabani said the PUK would not join the new government without firm guarantees of reform and equitable power-sharing.

Koya lies along the faultline between areas controlled by the KDP and PUK, making it a symbolic venue for Talabani’s message of unity and fairness.

“We promise all of Kurdistan to treat every side the same,” Talabani said, stressing equality regardless of party affiliation or community background.

Since the start of the election campaign in early October, Talabani has underscored the PUK’s regional connections, citing partnerships with Kurdish parties in Syria, Iran, and Turkey, as well as ties with neighboring governments.

“I ask you to send us to Baghdad this time with more seats, with more votes,” he said, arguing that real decision-making power lies in the Iraqi capital. “Decisions about large projects are in Baghdad… it is us in Baghdad who can deliver your rights.”

The PUK maintains close relations with parties in Baghdad, particularly the Shiite-led Coordination Framework that backs Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. The party presents itself as a counterweight to its main rival, the KDP, in both Erbil and federal politics.

https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/251020253