Shafaq News – Erbil

Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani on Friday said that Iraq’s upcoming November 11 elections is an “opportunity” to reset the country’s political course.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Erbil, Barzani framed the vote as a “matter of principle,” urging citizens to seize their chance to shape the future.

He outlined two reasons behind the KDP’s decision to participate despite no change in seat allocations: encouragement from international and Arab allies, and requests from political partners in Baghdad who see the vote as a turning point.

The Kurdish leader also called for replacing the current electoral system, advocating a return to a single-constituency model with party or semi-open lists, arguing, “The existing law is unfair and favors a narrow group at the expense of broader representation.”

Read more: Iraq’s 2025 Elections: Revised law reshapes the path to power

Iraq’s elections will proceed under the amended Election Law No. 9 of 2020, which reinstates the Sainte-Laguë formula and larger electoral districts—widely viewed as benefiting established parties over independents.

The KDP, which secured 31 seats in the 2021 parliamentary elections, remains the largest Kurdish bloc in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament. It also dominates the Kurdistan Region’s 100-seat parliament, holding 39 seats after securing over 800,000 votes.

Read more: The Kurdish spine of Iraq’s elections: Unity tested by division