Kirkuk parties to run for elections in separate rosters after dismantling the Kurdistan Alliance, official confirms

Shafaq News/ The alliance of Kurdish forces in Kirkuk, a.k.a the Kurdistan Alliance, broke up today, and the Kurdish parties will run for the upcoming legislative elections with separate electoral rosters.

The official of the Kurdistan Democratic Socialist Party, Rasool Raouf, said in a statement to Shafaq News Agency, "the Kurdistan Alliance does not exist anymore."

"Kurdish parties will run for the elections with separate lists," Rasool added, "four Kurdish parties have completed their rosters."

Raouf attributed the dissolution of the alliance to the absence of any previous meetings to agree upon the list, "the former alliance was established to run for the provincial council's elections."

"Those [upcoming] elections are different. Anybody can run for a post independently from parties since the votes are counted for the candidate, not the party."