“[Ballot] forging cannot be done in this election, your votes count,” Talabani said in Erbil, vowing to resolve issues with governance and services in the next government.
On Sunday, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced plans to enhance election integrity by installing cameras across polling centers. The election will also see the use of electronic voting machines for the first time in the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections.
“I promise you for all the sectors where we are lagging behind,” Talabani said, “We will set the best plans; we will create the best government,” Talabani said.
Addressing voter dissatisfaction, he said: “There are people who are so tired of the political process in [the] Kurdistan [Region], they have not voted in many elections.”
Talabani attributed the disengagement to a lack of change in the political landscape.
He conceded that the PUK had not done enough for its voters in the past, saying it is the dissatisfied voter’s right not to support them, including among their supporters.
Talabani said the PUK has had successes in the last two years, such as the appointment of a Kurdish candidate as governor of Kirkuk in August, following a contested vote, and court victories in Baghdad which brought about changes in the election laws.
“We will preserve the security of our people; let the government be transparent,” Talabani said while calling for “reform in the court [system].”
He also highlighted chronic electricity and water shortages in the Kurdistan Region, describing these issues as “very simple” to resolve.
The KDP and PUK have been sharing power in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
“Go [be] beside your own people,” Talabani told the PUK candidates for the Erbil constituency on stage, urging them to join the party’s supporters attending the rally.
“These are your representatives of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, for Kurds. Their place is with you,” Talabani added.
Talabani also called on voters to participate, emphasizing that a higher voter turnout will challenge the current ruling party.
“Go vote for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan,” he said, “if you do not trust me, vote for another party, but come fill the ballot boxes with votes.”
Tuesday marks the final day of official campaigning for Sunday’s election.
Some 1,191 candidates are vying for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament - 823 men and 368 women - including 38 candidates for five minority quota seats.
