Will there be another delay?
Uncertainty affects pre-election campaign spending in the Kurdistan Region
NEWSROOM — With the official start date of the parliamentary election campaign period in the Kurdistan Region drawing near, candidates and political lists are growing increasingly concerned about the elections’ taking place on the scheduled date of June 10. This uncertainty has prompted a cautious approach toward campaign expenditures, including the production of promotional materials like flex banners and posters.
The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on April 18 that campaigning for political alliances, parties, and individual candidates would begin on May 10 and end on June 6, one day before the start of special voting.
In previous years, electoral preparations and printing of signboards would have been in full swing a month before the elections. However, this year, the prevailing sentiment is one of hesitation. Candidates are delaying printing orders as they wait for a definitive confirmation that the elections will proceed as scheduled.
The Kurdistan Region’s sixth parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 10, following multiple postponements from the original date in 2022. IHEC will oversee the electoral process, preparations for which have been underway for several months.
Masoud Sali, head of advertising at Sherko Company, a printing business in Sulaymaniyah, shared his observations with 964media. “So far, only a few candidates have approached us for printing their campaign materials. They’ve made agreements, but they are all waiting for final confirmation of the election before proceeding. They are reluctant to invest in case the election is postponed again,” Sali explained.
Compared to the bustling activity seen in previous years around this time, the current election season is marked by a noticeable slowdown reflecting broader concerns about the stability and reliability of the electoral process in the region.
For now, it remains uncertain if the Kurdistan Democratic Party, one of the two ruling parties in Kurdistan Region, will participate in the elections, posing further questions on whether the elections will proceed as scheduled or face additional delays.
The KDP has voiced several objections to a series of Federal Court rulings on the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election, including the transition to a multi-constituency system, elimination of 11 minority quota seats in the legislature, and the allocation of three seats for Halabja governorate, instead of the six seats proposed by the KDP. The party also expressed reservations about having the federal government’s IHEC manage the region’s elections.
The question of another election delay was a key issue discussed during Kurdistan President Nechirvan Barzani’s recent visit to Baghdad. Reportedly, Iraqi parties have expressed a desire to remain neutral on the election delay issue, indicating the federal government’s desire to avoid further disputes with Erbil.
Upon Barzani’s return from Baghdad, Kurdish political parties are expected to convene to review the outcomes of the visit and gather opinions on the electoral issue as the possibility of delaying the elections remains a possibility.