PUK and Babylon Movement collaborate for upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections

Peregraf

Bafel Talabani, the President of the PUK, held a meeting with Rayan al-Kildani, the secretary general of the Babylon Movement, in Sulaymaniyah. Both parties are committed to establishing a framework for cooperation and joint efforts for the upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections. This marks the first participation of the Babylon Movement in the Kurdistan region elections.

In a statement released by Bafel Talabani, the discussions encompassed the political landscape in Iraq, emphasizing the importance of ongoing dialogue and mutual understanding among various political entities to ensure stability and the effective implementation of public service initiatives.

The topic of the Kurdistan Region elections was also a significant focus of the meeting. Both leaders underscored the importance of “cooperation and joint work” between the PUK and the Babylon Movement, which is entering the electoral process for the first time.

“President Bafel Jalal Talabani highlighted the PUK's commitment to facilitating a successful electoral process, emphasizing that their collective efforts aim to serve the populace and promote justice, thereby addressing issues of political retribution and discrimination in public service provision,” Bafel Talabani's statement says.

Within the 100 seats allocated in the Kurdistan Parliament, five seats have been set aside for different communities. In Sulaymaniyah, there is one seat each for Turkmen and Christians; in Erbil, one seat each for Turkmen and Christians; and in Duhok, one seat is reserved for Armenians.

Rayan al-Kildani is running for election in both Sulaymaniyah and Duhok, with the goal of obtaining the Christian seats in these two electoral districts.

Kurdistan parliamentary elections scheduled for October 20, 2024. The Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission and political parties welcomed the date and are ready to conduct the process and preparations continue.

The seats in parliament are divided among the provinces as follows; Erbil province has 34 seats, two of which are for communities, Sulaimaniyah province has 38 seats, two of which are for communities, Duhok province has 25 seats, including one seat for communities, and Halabja province has three seats.

The election has been postponed four times so far. Initially, Nechirvan Barzani, the President of Kurdistan Region of Iraq set October 1, 2022 for the elections, but they were not held on that date. Despite three other times that the KRI President announced for the elections (18 November 2023, 25 February 2024 and 10 June 2024), the elections were not held on those three dates.

Following the first elections on 19 May 1992, no elections for the Kurdistan Parliament have been held within the legal deadline during the three decades of the Kurdistan rule by PUK and PDK.