ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Representatives of foreign missions reiterated their support for conducting the much-delayed Kurdistan parliamentary elections in a free and transparent manner in meetings with top Kurdish officials in Erbil on Wednesday.
In a meeting with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Officer-in-Charge Claudio Cordone thanked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for its support and cooperation with Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in the preparations for the upcoming elections.
“We highlighted the importance of holding elections in a free and fair environment, free from violations and fraud,” read a statement from the prime minister’s office, also underscoring UNAMI and other international observers’ roles in ensuring a successful election process.
Steve Bitner, the new US Consul General to Erbil, also met with Kurdistan Region Vice Presidents Mustafa Said Qadir and Sheikh Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa, echoing similar sentiments.Both underlined the importance of holding timely, fair and transparent elections scheduled for 20 October. UNAMI reiterated its commitment to working with all relevant institutions to achieve this goal. pic.twitter.com/H0CNpU07HP
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) August 21, 2024
“CG Bitner also emphasized U.S. support for the Peshmerga Forces and the importance of free and fair elections in October,” the US envoy said in a statement posted on X.
Washington also emphasized the “critical” security partnership with Erbil during the meetings.
In late June, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani set October 20 as the date for the vote, two years after its originally scheduled date. The election process has been marred in difficulties, with interference from Baghdad fueling political tensions - particularly differences between the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The upcoming election will be unique in Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary history, with fewer seats in the legislature, a new constituency system, and the poll being administered by the federal commission for the first time due to disagreements between the main Kurdish parties that resulted in the failure to reactivate the regional electoral body.
The Kurdish president met with Bitner last week and Andrew Bizley, the new British consul general to Erbil, on Tuesday, underlining the importance of holding Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections.
