Author: Assistant Lecturer. Ali Murad al-Abadi
Center for strategic studies/ Crisis management Department
Translated by: Hiba Abbas Mohammed Ali
Reviewed by: Assistant Lecturer. Hussain B Abdulameer
October 2018
parliamentary elections were held On Sunday, September 30, to select the new members of the parliament in the Kurdistan region, and the number of those have the right to vote in this elections are 3 million and 85 thousand and 461 citizens as 673 candidates compete for 111 seats, including 11 seats allocated to minorities by 5 for Turkmen, and 5 for Christians Assyrians and Syrians, and one seat for the Armenians, and these elections are taking place amidst new variables that are misleading to the overall electoral process, especially that large blocs are racing to put reciprocal posit Its aim is to win the voters hearts and blame the actors, but new elections have come surrounded by several variables Inside the region and another outside the region and had a wide resonance in influencing voter’s choice, including:-
- The referendum that held in the region to take the opinion of the Kurdish citizens to secede from Iraq and form a Kurdish state, was rejected by some Kurdish parties in addition to the federal government and some countries as unconstitutional, and despite the volume of support which exceeded 90% but it’s consequences were dire on the region .
- The issue of the disputed areas, which was controlled by the federal government as part of the re-imposition of law after the referendum of secession, which generated Kurdish reactions that held referendum leaders responsible for their loss, especially oil rich Kirkuk, in addition to stepping down Massoud Barzani from the presidency of the region on the impact of those results.
The subject of the Kurdish candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Iraq and for the first time, the Kurds differ in agreeing on one candidate after the escalation of the dispute between the Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan had nominated Barham Saleh for the post, while the candidate of the Kurdistan Democratic Party were Fouad Hussein, as well as former MP Sarwa Abdel Wahid, these differences overshadowed the magnitude of the influence. The election of the presidential candidate was delayed after the provincial elections until the settlement and bargaining is present.
- The presence of new streams of great weight as in the movement of the new generation led by Shasawar Abdul Wahid, who has a strong presence in the region and is a prominent opponents of the policies of traditional parties in addition to his good relations with Baghdad.
Therefore, these variables have affected on the political parties, especially the traditional ones, which criticized in several subjects, including the decline of the economic situation of the region, but it may leave noticeable changes in the presence of new forces such as new generation and change, but the PUK and the KDP remain in the top of the scene according to the data field because it is at the head of power in addition to the long history which necessitates the majority of men above the young people elected, however, these are indications of the advent of gradual change in the nature of alliances inside and outside the region.
