ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The federal electoral commission said on Tuesday that it had officially informed the Kurdistan Region Presidency that it cannot hold the Region’s legislative elections on June 10, requesting the appointment of a new date.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) Spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told Rudaw on Tuesday that the Supreme Judicial Council met earlier in the day and sent a letter to the Kurdistan Region Presidency to appoint a new date for the long overdue parliamentary elections.
“We do not suggest any dates but request the Kurdistan Region Presidency to set a new date,” she said, adding that the federal authorities’ decision to allocate five quota seats for minorities in the polls affected their timetable.
Kurdistan Region’s general elections, initially scheduled for October 2022, have been postponed several times due to disagreements among political parties over the election law and the dissolution of the Kurdish legislature by the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court.
The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday voted to extend the term of the electoral commission for another six months, nearly two months before the end of its current term.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency Spokesperson Dilshad Shahab told reporters on Thursday that they are awaiting the federal electoral commission to meet in the coming days to revise the current date.
He added that once the commission officially informs them that it cannot hold the process on time, a new date will be appointed for the polls.
