“We ask the people and voters of Kurdistan to responsibly and loyally protect our achievements, to protect the integrity of the Kurdistan Region, and to vote for the force that protects Kurdistan,” Barzani said addressing Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) supporters in Erbil.
President Barzani, who is also KDP vice president, called on people to vote for the party to “continue development and construction, not for destruction and collapse.”
Barzani noted that issues have been created for the current government.
“If we look at the past difficulties imposed on the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG], we see that we have come a long way,” he said, trusting the voters want “a unified parliament and government.”
The Kurdistan Region last held parliamentary elections in 2018. The upcoming elections, initially scheduled for 2022, have been delayed several times.
Official campaigning began September 25 and continues until October 15. The election is set to be held on October 20.
The electoral process has been mired in challenges, with interference from Baghdad exacerbating tensions between the Kurdistan Region’s political parties, particularly between the two main parties, KDP and rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
On Wednesday, PUK leader Bafel Talabani called for a public debate with political rivals.
“Let us debate,” he said, addressing Masrour Barzani - KDP leadership member and the Region’s prime minister - and other political leaders.
During a rally in Koya on Saturday, Talabani attacked the KRG’s banking mechanism, the My Account initiative. He said the KDP wants to “take the people’s money” through the initiative.
“It is neither My Account, nor your account. Let’s call it as it is, it is Masrour’s account,” Talabani said, calling on supporters to subscribe to the federal government’s banking initiative, Tawtin (localization).
On Sunday, Prime Minister Barzani refused to respond to the rhetoric.
“A lot of things were said, and disrespect was shown. We do not answer, but our lack of answer is an answer in itself,” said Prime Minister Barzani at a ceremony in Duhok.
Nearly 2.9 million people are eligible to vote including around 215,000 early voters. There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces.
In the 2018 elections, the KDP won 45 seats, the PUK secured 21, while the Change Movement (Gorran) took 12 seats, and smaller parties won less than ten seats.
Two coalitions and 13 parties are competing to put candidates in the 100-seat legislature.
