Kurdistan Justice Group rejects parliamentary seats: Will not participate in parliament rife with fraud
Shafaq News / On Saturday, Ali Babir, the Head of the Kurdistan Islamic Justice Group, announced his party's decision to abstain from participating in the Kurdistan Region Parliament, stating that they do not wish to accept the three seats allocated to them.
During a press conference, Babir expressed his gratitude to the people of Kurdistan for their active participation in the elections, emphasizing “the significant role” this participation played and asking God to reward them for their “good choices.”
Babir pointed out, "Returning to the people's opinion is a fundamental principle in Islam," stressing, "The people have the right to hold officials accountable for their performance in legislation and law enforcement."
He also clarified that his group is not 100% convinced of the integrity of the election results. “There was widespread fraud during the electoral process,” he indicated. "The fraud may have been carried out by parties outside Iraq.”
Moreover, Babir stated that the group took this position to protect their votes and warn the authorities about the dangers of manipulation. "We believe it's crucial to clarify our position; we will not participate in a parliament rife with fraud and manipulation."
“While we demanded the integrity of the electoral process, we felt that the electoral commission's positions were not sufficiently transparent,” he noted, urging the authorities in the Region to avoid fraud and uphold credibility.
“Fraud and deception will ultimately lead to community frustration and a loss of hope.”
The group’s Head also confirmed that their rejection of parliamentary seats does not mean distancing themselves from political work. “We will continue our activities outside the parliament; our efforts will not be limited to the parliament and government.”
Furthermore, Babir noted that their actual vote count was far higher than reported, expressing hopes that all parties contesting the election results will take a similar stance, and calling for “accountability and transparency.”
“We urge that the final word be left to the specialized committee and monitors,” Babir said, adding, “We hope our group won’t have to take stronger positions in the future.”
These remarks came amid heightened political tensions in Kurdistan over the transparency of the October 20 parliamentary elections.
Notably, Kurdistan’s sixth Parliamentary elections took place on Sunday, where 1,091 candidates competed for 100 seats, five of which are reserved for minority groups.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has emerged as the leading party with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement (Al-Jil Al-Jadeed-NGM) securing 15 seats.
