After quota cancellation, major parties gatekeep minority representation in Kurdistan Parliament

Shafaq News/ The Federal Supreme Court's decision to annul minority seats in the Kurdistan Region's Parliament has sparked backlash from religious and national groups, prompting boycotts of the upcoming elections scheduled for June 10.

Last February, the Federal Court canceled 11 seats reserved for quotas out of 111 seats. In response, Turkmen parties in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) announced the boycott.

Representing Turkmen parties, Karkhi Alti Bermakh criticized the decision, stating in a press conference that "canceling the quota seats violates the constitution and contradicts Article 49, which ensures the rights of components…the court's decision will weaken democratic principles in the Kurdistan Region."

Bermakh called upon the United Nations, the Kurdish President, Prime Minister, and Parliament Speaker to "intervene to cancel this decision."

In this regard, political analyst Yassin Aziz explained to Shafaq News Agency that "the components' boycott of the elections has created a vacuum in the representation that existed in previous elections in the Kurdistan Region, where representatives of the components, especially Christians, have been present since the first elections in 1992 as an integral part of the diverse social fabric in Kurdistan."

Aziz elaborated that "this boycott will not significantly affect the conduct of the elections despite the components' boycott," noting that "the option of granting seats to the components in the lists of Kurdish parties, especially the main ones, will be a viable option, especially for the Kurdistan Democratic Party."

Numerous religious and ethnic minorities live in Iraqi Kurdistan, mainly Turkmen, Assyrians, Yazidi, and Christians.

Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani deemed the Federal Court's decision to cancel the components' quotas as "a blow to partnership and coexistence."