Kurdistan Presidency Diwan: Decision to cancel components' quotas unfair

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Chief of the Kurdistan Region Presidency Diwan, Fawzi Hariri, described the Federal Court's decision to cancel the seats of quotas in the Kurdish parliament as "unfair" to the components whose rights vanished due to political conflicts.

On February 21, Iraq's Federal Supreme Court (FSC) issued decisions regarding the Kurdistan Parliament elections law, including the cancellation of "quotas" seats, and the Independent High Electoral Commission was to replace the Kurdistan one.

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

Hariri, speaking to Shafaq News agency on the sidelines of his participation in a memorial ceremony held in Erbil, said, "The Kurdish President (Nechirvan Barzani) carried out the procedures by issuing a decree to set June 10, 2024, as the date for the elections, and we did what was required in coordination with the Independent High Electoral Commission through several meetings held at the headquarters of the Region's presidency in the presence of representatives of all relevant parties."

He added, "We are now awaiting the commission's procedures regarding the number of entities, parties, and alliances registered."

Concerning the boycotting by minorities, Hariri considered this “a negative step due to the decision of the Federal Court, and some major parties are also studying their position in solidarity with the components, so we are following up on these matters and hoping that the upcoming procedures will be in favor of Kurdistan."

The "quota" system, referring to the allocation оf parliamentary seats to different ethnic and religious groups, were created to ensure fair representation.

"The decision was unfair, and the rights of the components are guaranteed in the Iraqi constitution."

He continued, "We now need to look towards the future and the mechanism for addressing this problem, and there are political and legal perspectives in this regard, so we are looking forward to attempting to resolve these issues, but the decision is very unfair and does not bode well because of the social composition of the components of the Kurdistan Region."

Canceling the quota seats sparked anger in the Kurdish community.

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

On the other hand, the head of the Kurdistan Judicial Council, Judge Abdul Jabbar Aziz Hassan, deemed the decision "unconstitutional."

Judge Hassan asserted that constitutional articles cannot be undermined under any pretext, as they are binding on all, including the FSC.

"The region has the right to exercise its constitutional rights within the Iraqi state," the judge added.

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."