Dozens of Christians, Turkmens gather in Erbil to protest against canceling quota seats

Shafaq News/ Members of the Christian and Turkmen communities in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, on Monday organized a protest against a decision by Iraq's Federal Court to cancel the 10 quota seats in the Kurdistan Parliament.

According to a reporter for Shafaq News Agency, the protest took place in the Ankawa area of central Erbil and was attended by representatives of the minority communities. The protesters condemned the decision of the Federal Court to cancel the quota seats in the Kurdistan Parliament.

The protesters argue that the cancellation of the quota seats will disproportionately affect minority communities in the Kurdistan Region, depriving them of representation in the Parliament.

On February 21, 2024, the Federal Court issued decisions regarding the Kurdistan Parliament Election Law, including the cancellation of the quota seats and the replacement of the Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission with the Federal Independent High Electoral Commission.

The Kurdistan Region President, Nechirvan Barzani, had previously signed a regional decree setting June 10, 2024, as the date for the next Kurdistan Parliament elections.