Minority parties reject verdict
Iraqi electoral judicial council restores five parliamentary minority seats
NEWSROOM — The Iraqi Electoral Judiciary Council has restored five quota parliamentary seats to the minorities of the Kurdistan Region, according to an official statement released Tuesday.
In the statement, the Iraqi electoral commission said it has been assigned to allocate five parliamentary seats to Kurdistan minorities. The seats will be distributed based on election constituencies, with two seats each for Erbil and Sulaymaniyah, and one seat for Duhok.
Out of the total 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, five will be reserved for minorities.
Jumana Al-Ghalai, spokesperson for the Independent High Electoral Commission, stated, “Two seats in Erbil will be for Christians and Turkmen, two seats in Sulaymaniyah for Christians and Turkmen, and one seat in Duhok for an Armenian Christian.”
It remains unclear on what basis the distribution of minority seats in the Kurdish parliament has been made, the actual minority population number or the balance of power between the Kurdistan Democratic Party, ruling in Erbil and Duhok, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the main party in Sulaymaniyah, is a contributing factor. In Duhok, the allocated Armenian seat sees less contention, as the majority of Armenians in Iraq reside in the governorate. Approximately 150 Armenian families, totaling over 1,000 individuals, now reside in Duhok’s Zakho district alone.
However, a significant number of Christians live in the Erbil governorate, particularly in Ankawa, Shaqlawa, Soran, and Koya. They have been allocated one seat despite it being likely their numbers in Erbil far outweigh those residing in Sulaymaniyah. Turkmen mainly live in Erbil, though there is not verified statistical data regarding their exact numbers. Duhok also has a significant Chaldean Christian population but have received no quota seats.
The electoral commission has been contacted for comment.
Following the Electoral Judiciary Council decision, the Federal Supreme Court today issued a verdict rejecting the lawsuit filed by Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. The court also annulled the injunction regarding the unconstitutionality of Article 2 of the candidate registration system, “due to a decision issued by the Judiciary Council on the same matter,” a statement from the court confirmed.
On May 7, the federal court issued an interim order in response to a complaint by Prime Minister Barzani, halting the implementation of seat distribution across the region’s four governorates.
The order affects Article 2, Section (ii) of the Registration and Approval System for the Kurdistan Regional Parliament Elections No. 7 of 2024. It specifies the distribution of 100 parliamentary seats across electoral districts in the Kurdistan Region as follows: Erbil governorate with 34 seats, Sulaymaniyah with 38 seats, Duhok with 25 seats, and Halabja with 3 seats.
The commision also authorized minorities parties to submit any objections to the decision.
Commenting on the decision, Muna Kahveci, the former secretary of the Kurdistan Parliament from the Turkmen bloc, told 964media, “We are waiting for the Federal Court’s decision regarding the KRG Prime Minister’s complaint to restore all quota parliamentary seats.”
In response to a question about whether only the five seats would be restored, she expressed uncertainty, saying, “We need to convene internally as the Turkmen bloc and then decide.”
Aydin Marouf, KRG cabinet minister and member of the Turkmen Front’s political bureau, has rejected the measure as one not based on minority populations. Marouf stated, “We view this decision as a political one. This distribution of minority seats is based on geography.”
He added, “Allocating five seats is a reduction in the level of representation for minorities in the Kurdistan Region.”
Marouf is demanding the reinstatement of the eleven quota seats that the Federal Court had previously annulled.
Moreover, he calls for restoring the single-constituency election system in which the entire Kurdistan Region was a single 100-seat constituency, with a separate 11-seat constituency for minorities.
On Feb. 21, 2024, after 11 delays, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court issued a verdict regarding the Kurdistan parliamentary election law. The court’s ruling, which addressed issues within the law from 1992, declared certain provisions unconstitutional and redefined the number of Kurdistan parliamentary seats to 100 members, annulling 11 quota seats. It also split the electoral map into four constituencies corresponding with the Kurdistan Region’s four governorates.
In response, the Kurdistan Democratic Party alongside Christian and Turkmen parties announced a boycott of the parliamentary elections, initially scheduled for June 10.
However, it remains uncertain when the elections will be held. As of May 7, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court issued an interim order in response to a complaint by Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, halting the implementation of seat distribution across the region’s four governorates.
Confusion reigns over Kurdistan election delay as commission officials claim business as usual
