Qubad Talabani Urges Dissatisfied Voters to Support the PUK, Says Division Only Benefits the KDP

Peregraf- Kurdistan Region’s Deputy Prime Minister and senior Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Qubad Talabani said that a large percentage of people in the Kurdistan Region are dissatisfied with the current style of administration and governance, feeling marginalized and treated unjustly. He called on these dissatisfied citizens to cast their votes for the PUK in the upcoming elections.

"A large majority of these dissatisfied people were previously the popular base of the PUK. Some became disillusioned with the party due to its negligence, lack of planning, and internal conflicts, and chose not to participate in past elections. Others placed their hopes in opposition forces and voted for them," Talabani said during a PUK election campaign rally in Hiran and Basrma.

He added, "This division of dissatisfied people has only benefited the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), because the KDP does not want to see a strong force opposing it, stopping it, and telling it that people should not be marginalized because of their stance."

Addressing those who have lost faith in the political process, Talabani said, "If you were previously dissatisfied with the PUK, now the PUK is a strong and programmatic force. It is a force that does not compromise on the demands of the dissatisfied people. I ask you-rather than being divided or abstaining from elections-shouldn’t you strengthen, with your votes, the party that has the power in Kurdistan to end marginalization and solve problems with Baghdad?"

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the front of the dissatisfied in the Kurdistan Region represents the majority. In the last elections, more than half of eligible voters did not participate, choosing to boycott due to frustration and hopelessness about the electoral process.

According to previous Peregraf data, for the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections-scheduled to take place in two weeks-more than 18% of registered voters in the Kurdistan Region have not renewed their biometric voter registration, making them ineligible to vote and effectively confirming their boycott.

Based on updated figures, the Kurdistan Region’s voters, numbering around 3.1 million, make up more than 14% of Iraq’s total electorate. The three governorates of the Kurdistan Region hold 46 out of 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament, or 13.98% of the total, including two quota seats for Christians in Erbil and Duhok. No minority quota seats have been assigned to Sulaymaniyah province.

Out of 3.8 million eligible voters in the Kurdistan Region, around 700,000-representing 18.42%-did not renew their registration. This means nearly one in every five voters has already opted out of the election process entirely due to their lack of trust in the possibility of change through elections.

In previous elections as well, a significant portion of eligible voters refrained from voting, and this percentage has continued to rise election after election, reflecting growing public dissatisfaction with the political process and governing authorities.