Shafaq News – Baghdad (Updated at 22:10)

The Feyli Kurds, one of Iraq’s long-marginalized minorities, are gearing up to take part in the November 11 parliamentary elections, hoping to turn symbolic representation into real political influence.

At a conference held on Saturday by the Feyli Front in Baghdad, speakers urged stronger participation from the community—particularly from women—as campaigns intensify ahead of the vote. Candidate Sara Abdullah Feyli said her platform focuses on defending women’s rights and restoring the Feyli community’s place within Iraq’s legal and political system.

Supported by Feyli Front leader Maher Rashid, Abdullah called for unity and cooperation with national forces to push for legislation addressing the community’s long-standing grievances. “Feyli solidarity can turn promises into laws,” she told the audience.

Vivian Feyli, the Front’s media official, said Kurdish women carry “a decisive responsibility” in the elections, stressing that “a woman’s vote represents continuity, renewal, and the strength of national identity.”

The Feyli Kurds are a Kurdish-speaking Shiite community concentrated in Baghdad, Wasit, Diyala, and Maysan provinces, as well as parts of the Kurdistan Region. Estimates of their numbers range from 1.5 million to 2.5 million.

Under Saddam Hussein’s rule, tens of thousands were stripped of citizenship, deported to Iran, and killed in mass executions. In 2011, Iraq’s Parliament officially recognized those crimes as genocide.

The community currently holds one reserved seat in Iraq’s 329-member Parliament, traditionally linked to Wasit Province. But a recent decision by lawmakers to reclassify that quota as a nationwide seat has alarmed Feyli activists, who fear it could weaken their representation.

Feyli leaders have urged authorities to preserve the quota and consider additional seats, arguing that a single seat cannot reflect the size or diversity of their population.

Read more: Quotas without a cause: Iraqi Women counted, rights discounted