ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday said that Iraq’s next government must make a “serious effort” to implement the country’s Constitution, stressing that its neglect has been the source of many ongoing disputes between Baghdad and Erbil.
“That constitution has not been implemented. Indeed, the most important thing to be done after these elections is to make a serious effort to implement the Iraqi Constitution,” Barzani said during a press conference following his vote.
Polling stations opened at 7 am and will close at 6 pm on Tuesday, with more than 21 million Iraqis eligible to vote.
Leaders from Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) have long accused Baghdad of violating constitutional provisions that guarantee the Kurdistan Region’s autonomy - a message that has dominated their recent electoral campaigns.
President Barzani was among the first Iraqi and Kurdish officials to cast his ballot early Tuesday morning, as polling stations opened across Iraq for the parliamentary elections.
“Every election is significant. Every election is important,” he said. “The importance of these elections for the Kurdistan Region is that we believe a new beginning has started in Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region must be very strong in Baghdad.”
Barzani urged Iraqis, including Kurds, to participate in the elections. “Our message is that the entire Iraqi people, including Kurdistan, together, we should all take part in the elections because we believe that they are important elections.”
He said that the current elections differ from previous ones due to Iraq’s relative improvements in security and the economy, expressing hope that Iraqis “will have better lives” and receive better services after the vote.
“I believe this is one of the most important elections held in Iraq so far, after 2005 and other stages in Iraq.