Minority representatives discuss parliamentary "quota" seats in Erbil
Shafaq News / Representatives of minorities in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament held a meeting on Thursday to discuss minority representation in the Kurdistan Region (KRI) and Iraq's parliaments. Mikhail Benjamin, the head of the Iraqi Minorities Alliance, described this issue as "becoming a curse on minorities," turning into a matter for major parties at the expense of smaller components.
According to a Shafaq News Agency’s correspondent, "The meeting brought together representatives of national and religious minorities to discuss their participation in KRI’s Parliament and the reality of their representation."
Benjamin stated, "This project has been endorsed by the network for several years, aimed at empowering Iraqi minorities. It is about the complex issue of quotas, which has shifted from being a blessing to a curse for minorities. It involves the participation of all minority representatives, and even the majorities, to ensure genuine and effective minority representation."
He added, "Today's gathering aims to discuss the quota issue and find solutions not only in KRI but throughout Iraq." He noted that "the quota issue has become a subject manipulated by powerful major parties at the expense of minorities."
This comes amid two appeals before the Federal Court submitted by Kurdish political parties regarding the quota seats and the conduct of Kurdistan Parliament elections. Initially scheduled to be decided on December 3, they were postponed to December 27, and both were delayed.
Furthermore, complaints against five articles of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections law regarding the number of seats, single and multiple constituencies, and the number of quota seats were submitted by Ziyad Jabbar, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in the fifth session of the Kurdistan Parliament, and Amanj Najib Shamoun, representing Christians in al-Sulaymaniyah Provincial Council.
According to Article 36 of the legislative election law in the Region, five quota seats will be allocated in the Kurdistan Parliament for Chaldeans, Assyrians, and Syriacs, with one seat for the Armenian component, as well as five seats for the Turkmen.
It is noteworthy that in 1992, the first parliamentary elections were held in Kurdistan. In 2004, an amendment was made to the election law to remove Article 9, which stipulated that Kurdistan should consist of several electoral districts.
