Minister advocates for increased minority seats in Kurdistan election quota

Shafaq News/ On Thursday, the Minister of Regional Affairs for Minority Components, Aiden Marouf, argued that allocating five seats for minority components in Kurdistan's legislative elections is inadequate, advocating for the reinstatement of the previous quota of 11 seats.

In a press conference held after the Minister met with some political representatives and civil society organizations regarding the quota seats for the components in the Kurdistan Region (Chaldeans, Turkmen, Syriacs, and Assyrians), he said that “the 5 identified seats for the components are insufficient in number,” noting that “the division of these seats based on geography is not only incorrect but also politically motivated.”

President Nechirvan Barzani recently announced October 20 as the election date for the regional parliament. The decision has been welcomed by Kurdish parties and has garnered support from the Baghdad federal government, which has expressed readiness to assist in ensuring a successful election process.

The most recent delay occurred when the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) announced its boycott of the elections initially scheduled for June due to decisions from the Federal Supreme Court reducing the number of Kurdish parliament seats from 111 to 100, effectively eliminating seats allocated for Turkmen and Christian minorities, taking over from KRG's electoral commission to supervise parliamentary elections, and dividing Kurdistan into four constituencies instead of the single-constituency system.