ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish political leaders and officials in Kirkuk and Nineveh are urging internally displaced persons (IDPs) to return to their home provinces and participate in Iraq’s upcoming elections, warning that failure to do so could weaken Kurdish representation in parliament.
In October 2017, Iraqi federal forces retook control of the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, along with parts of Nineveh and other disputed areas that had been held by Kurdish Peshmerga since the 2014 war against the Islamic State (ISIS). Thousands of Kurds fled to the Kurdistan Region for safety, and many have since settled there.
However, Iraq’s electoral law requires citizens to cast their ballots in their province of origin, meaning these IDPs must return home to vote.
Shakhawan Abdullah, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) electoral list in Kirkuk and the second deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw that the return of displaced Kurdish voters is a “fateful issue” for the province’s future.
“It is very important for those people to return [and cast their votes],” Abdullah said, warning that if they don’t, “a catastrophe will occur for Kurds, because the number of voters will decrease in the province.”
He estimated that “around 100,000 displaced Kurds [from Kirkuk] should return to vote.”
Kirkuk is represented by 12 of Iraq’s 329 parliamentary seats. In the October 2021 elections, Kurds won six of those seats. Abdullah cautioned that lower Kurdish turnout this time could upset the province’s political balance.
“Our common goal with the parties is to increase the seats,” he said. “In the worst-case scenario, Kurds will strive to regain the six seats. If Kurdish seats are reduced, the balance of power will crumble, which is not in the Kurds’ interests at all.”
Meanwhile, Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha, who heads the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) electoral list in the province, appealed for unity among Kurdish voters.
“I call on the communities of Kirkuk not to throw away and not burn their votes, don't vote for a list that, as they say, cannot win a seat,” he said, stressing that the Kurdish parties’ “speaking against each other and weakening each other is not beneficial for Kirkuk or our nation. Both parties are against the situation worsening - we need to set aside partisan interests.”
“I call on the people of Kirkuk not to throw away or waste their votes. Don’t vote for a list that cannot win a seat,” he said, stressing that infighting between Kurdish parties only weakens their position. “Speaking against each other is not beneficial for Kirkuk or our nation. Both parties oppose worsening the situation - we need to set aside partisan interests.”
Similar appeals have been made in Nineveh province.
Mohammed Kakayi, head of the PUK’s bloc within the Nineveh provincial council, told Rudaw that more than 40,000 Kurds from Nineveh currently live in the Kurdistan Region, not counting those in displacement camps.
“The Kurdish parties in Nineveh, particularly the KDP and PUK, are working to encourage our [displaced] compatriots to return and vote on election day,” Kakayi said.
He added that the Kurdish parties’ officials have coordinated with security checkpoints between Nineveh, Erbil and Duhok to facilitate voter movement on election day.
He added that party officials have coordinated with security checkpoints between Nineveh, Erbil, and Duhok to facilitate voter movement and “have set up three [hotline] numbers to assist Kurdish families facing obstacles.”
Kakayi noted that Arab voter turnout in Nineveh is expected to rise significantly this year, especially in Mosul, where participation was low in 2021.
Nawzad Hadi, head of the KDP’s organizational bureau in Nineveh, also urged displaced Kurds to return and vote to “maintain the balance of power” through strong participation.
Iraq is set to hold its upcoming legislative elections on November 11.
According to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, 31 political alliances, 38 parties, 23 independents, and 56 minority candidates will compete in the upcoming elections. A total of 7,768 candidates - 5,520 men and 2,248 women - are running for 329 parliamentary seats, including nine reserved for minorities.
More than 39,000 polling stations will open across 8,703 centers for the general vote, with an additional 4,501 stations for special voting and 97 for displaced persons in and around camps in the Kurdistan Region.
About 27 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, though only those with biometric voter cards will be allowed to cast ballots.
Malik Mohammed contributed to this report.