IHEC visit to Erbil
Kurdistan elections date to be set this week
Erbil, January 14 — In a critical development this week, the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq, IHEC, announced that a delegation will visit Erbil on Monday for discussions with Kurdistan Regiona Presidency officials. The focal point of the meeting is to set a date for the forthcoming Kurdistan Parliament elections.
Jumana Al-Ghalai, the spokesperson for IHEC, stated to the Iraqi News Agency, “A delegation led by the Chairman of the Board, the Director of Elections Department, and the Board of Commissioners will visit Erbil.” She said that the purpose of the visit is to engage in talks with the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency about setting a date for the parliamentary elections in the region. She added that a significant meeting is scheduled for the 16th of this month to finalize the election date for the Kurdistan Parliament.
IHEC had previously confirmed its readiness to conduct the new session of the Kurdistan Parliament elections in response to a query from the Federal Court. In August last year, the Kurdistan Regional Government had initially set February 25, 2024, as the election date.
On December 12, 2023, the Iraqi Council of Ministers decided to allocate more than 70 billion dinars for the conduct of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections and to address drought and flood challenges in the region.
On January 3, 2024, IHEC announced that it would not be able to hold the elections on the previously determined date of February 25, 2024. This announcement has necessitated the need for a new date, which the upcoming delegation’s visit to Erbil aims to establish.
