Rifts continue, even after setting date for parliamentary polls in Kurdistan region

Mohamed Shaath

Despite rampant political rifts in the Kurdistan region, the presidency of the region has set a date for the parliamentary elections.

This announcement was met with approval from all parties in the region.

The presidency of the Kurdistan region said it would hold the parliamentary elections on November 18.

Presidency Spokesman, Dilshad Shihab, said all parties agree on the date of the elections.

He pointed out at a press briefing that relations between his region and the US are at their best.

He referred to what he described as ‘good understanding’ on the issue of oil and gas.

Shihab added that the political components of the Kurdistan region would not allow anybody to impose its will on them.

He called on all political forces to take into account the public interest and solve all the problems related to the Independent High Commission for Elections and Referendums in the Kurdistan region for the success of the elections.

Upcoming meeting

The leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party, Mahmoud Khoshnaw, said although the date of the elections has been set, there are a number of issues that have not been resolved.

These issues, he said, include the failure of Kurdish political forces to reach a comprehensive agreement on the election law.

“There are differences of opinion and different positions on the issue of reaching a comprehensive agreement on the amendment of the election law,” he told The Reference.

Khoshnaw added that the current law has lost its homogeneity with the socio-political changes of the Kurdistan region.

This is why, he said, there are calls for changing the law.

He referred to four basic points in the law, including the distribution of districts from one to four districts.

He stressed that the elections cannot be held before the amendment of the electoral law.

“There will be no amendment of the law before there is a political agreement between all parties, and this is also still under discussion,” Khoshnaw said.

He expected a meeting to be held during the coming days of the election bureaus of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party to discuss controversial points.

On top of these points, he said, is how to deal with the basic components in the region.