Kurdistan Region President Criticizes Iraq’s Centralization, Urges Election Participation

Peregraf– Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani sharply criticized Iraq’s political structure on Wednesday, saying the country is federal in name only but functions as a highly centralized state.

Speaking at the Middle East Research Institute’s (MERI) Forum 2025 in Erbil, Barzani said: “The biggest problem in Iraq is that no one knows whether the system is federal or central. In terms of daily practice, it is very, very centralized. It is called a federal Iraq in name, but in essence Iraq is everything but not federal. What they are doing with the Kurdistan Region is not in any federal system.”

Barzani argued that despite more than two decades since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq has failed to implement its constitution as intended. “After 22 years of rule in Iraq, except the constitution as a paper and an important achievement, but unfortunately not implemented, nothing else has been done in this country. The problems between Erbil and Baghdad today all stem from the fact that the constitution has not been implemented,” he said.

He stressed that Iraq’s political and economic progress depends on fully applying the constitution and reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s commitment to working with Baghdad. “I am not arguing that the strategic depth of the Kurdistan Region is Baghdad and we must reach an agreement with Baghdad,” he added.

Turning to Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for November 11, Barzani emphasized their importance. “The 11-11 elections are as important as the 2005 elections, and they are the beginning of a new phase in Iraq and the region, so I ask the people of Kurdistan and Iraq to participate,” he urged.