PUK rules out postponing the Kurdistan elections

Shafaq News / The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ruled out, on Wednesday, the postponement of the Kurdistan elections and the withdrawal of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) due to recent political tensions between Baghdad and Erbil. On March 3, 2024, the President of the Kurdistan Region signed a regional decree setting the date for the sixth parliamentary elections of the Kurdistan Parliament on June 10. Burhan Saeed, a member of the PUK Political Bureau, stated that "the PUK is fully prepared to participate in the upcoming June elections and is committed to the date announced by President Barzani." Saeed dismissed any possibility of delaying the elections, affirming that "the President is the one who determined the date, and everyone must adhere to this decision, as holding the elections will prevent the Region from a legal and constitutional vacuum and will maintain its legal entity through the election of its legitimate institutions." Regarding the potential withdrawal of the KDP, a key party in the upcoming elections due to recent political tensions between Baghdad and Erbil, the PUK member stated, "God willing, the KDP will not withdraw from the elections." Addressing the decisions of the Federal Supreme Court and their implications on the Region's entity, Saeed emphasized, "We believe that the decisions of the Federal Supreme Court are in the interest of the Region and its people and do not affect Kurdistan's entity and constitutionality." The Federal Supreme Court issued, on February 21, 2024, decisions regarding the Kurdistan Parliament elections law, including the cancellation of the "quota" seats and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to replace the Kurdistan Electoral Commission. In a separate matter, Ziyad Jabbar, a PUK leader, confirmed that "the issue of the positions of al-Sulaymaniya and Halabja governorates has been formally discussed with the Gorran Movement (Change) some time ago, and Gorran has been informed of our perspective. We are now awaiting the Movement's stance on replacing the governors of al-Sulaymaniya and Halabja."