KRI Turkmen civil organizations boycott parliamentary elections

Shafaq News / Turkmen civil society organizations in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) decided, on Saturday, to boycott the parliamentary elections scheduled for June 10th, protesting against the Federal Court's decision to cancel the minority quota seats. Representatives of these organizations stated, "We, representatives of Turkmen nationalist associations and civil organizations, reject the Federal Court's decision to cancel the minority quota seats because we believe that this decision, as much as it is against the components, it also takes into account the interest of a political party." "Therefore, we declare our boycott of the electoral process in all forms, knowing that the non-participation of the second nationality in the Region in the political process raises questions, and all these results fall on the Federal Court, which clearly and explicitly opposes coexistence in KRI." Noteworthy, the Federal Court issued decisions regarding the Kurdistan Parliament Elections Law on February 21, 2024, which included canceling the "quota" seats and replacing the Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) with the federal one. Turkmen parties in KRI announced on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, their boycott of the parliamentary elections scheduled to be held on June 10th, in protest against the Federal Court's decision.