Iraq’s Kurdish Region Looking Forward to the New Parliament

Dissatisfaction with political leaders and financial turmoil are driving voters to cast ballots in postponed parliamentary elections in Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. Iraqi Kurdistan, which attained independence in 1991, will elect a speaker, an elected leader, and a prime minister when elections for 100 members of parliament are held on Sunday.

2.9 million of the 6 million people living in the area can vote for the MPs, including the 30 women who must meet a quota. 368 women are among the more than 1,000 contenders in the race. Because of its strong relations to the United States and Europe, Iraqi Kurdistan attracts international investors as a relative haven of stability in the volatile area.

Opposition leaders and activists, however, argue that the area is plagued by the same problems that plague Iraq overall, such as economic hardships, political repression, corruption, and cronyism among the ruling class. Mahmoud Abdelwahed of Al Jazeera, reporting from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, stated that the results and turnout will show “if indeed there’s voter apathy.”

Additionally, he stated that the regional administration is attempting to exert pressure on the Baghdad-based central government to permit the reopening of significant oil pipelines and to release a portion of its budget designated for the Kurds.

Disagreements between the two main parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), have caused the parliamentary elections, which were originally scheduled for 2022, to be postponed several times.

The Taliban dominates the PUK, whereas the influential Barzani family controls the KDP. The KDP and PUK are expected to continue their more than three decades of power-sharing since opposition parties are weak. With 45 MPs compared to the PUK’s 21, the KDP is the largest party in the departing parliament.

After voting in the Kurdish city of Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan’s president, Nechirvan Barzani, stated, “We hope that a unified regional government will be formed as soon as possible and that the situation of citizens will move for the better.”

Experts claim that despite organizing their networks of patrons and hosting electoral rallies, the parties are widely disenchanted with the population, which is made worse by the dire economic circumstances in the area.

Despite its oil resources, the Kurdish area has serious economic problems, like as budget cuts from Baghdad, changing oil prices, and delayed civil worker paychecks. Political leaders are often held accountable for poor administration. People desire more jobs, timely wage payments, and access to power. Voter Ghazi Najib told the news agency The Associated Press, “This is all they want.”

Corruption is yet another major problem. The regional government has been accused of nepotism and a lack of transparency for years. To address these issues, a large number of voters—especially those in the younger generation—are demanding reforms.