The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan confirmed today, Friday, its support for the Supreme Independent Electoral Commission's oversight of the regional parliamentary elections, considering it a guarantee for their integrity. It also stated that the Kurdistan Democratic Party has not officially boycotted these elections.
Faiq Yazidi, a member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, said, "The Democratic Party did not officially boycott the elections; rather, it issued a statement." He added that "the Democratic Party is also concerned about the elections because they will be held according to the biometric system, which guarantees the integrity of the process, and the entity overseeing it will be the Supreme Independent Electoral Commission."
Yazidi emphasized, "The elections will be conducted by the Supreme Commission, which is a federal body and not an external party. We believe that it is essential to hold the elections under its oversight to ensure their integrity and to correct the course of democracy in the Kurdistan region."
The Kurdistan Democratic Party announced last Monday its boycott of the parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region scheduled for next June, threatening to withdraw from the political process in Iraq.
The party's political bureau stated in a statement, "We believe that it is in the interest of our people and homeland for our party not to comply with an unconstitutional decision and a system imposed against the will of the people of Kurdistan and its constitutional institutions, and not to participate in elections held in violation of the law and constitution and under an imposed electoral system."
The statement addressed the citizens of the region, saying, "We put the parties of the State Administration Alliance before their national responsibilities in implementing the constitution and all clauses of the political and administrative agreement concerning the formation of the current government headed by Muhammad Shia al-Sudani," stressing that "otherwise, we cannot continue in the political process."
