Kurdish parties eager to change political landscape in Kirkuk: official

Shafaq News / The two major Kurdish parties in Kirkuk leaned towards the prospect of Kurds securing more than half of the seats in the Kirkuk Provincial Council during the local elections held today, Monday. They aimed to regain their "lost" political and national rights, highlighting a noticeable Kurdish public interest in the elections to restore the province's ethnic balance.

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Sabah Habib, a representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Kirkuk, expressed confidence that "Kurds will secure at least 8 seats in the upcoming Kirkuk Council elections, enabling us to reclaim the governorate position and our administrative rights that have been withheld for 6 years." He emphasized the desire to construct a robust political council in Kirkuk, advocating for the rights of the three major components (Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen) and fostering peaceful coexistence based on principles of justice.

Habib underscored that "the upcoming Kirkuk Council elections will mark a political and pivotal turning point after the absence of local elections in the province since 2005." He urged political forces to prioritize Kirkuk's higher interests and its residents over partisan and nationalist agendas.

On a different note, Najwa Kakayi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk, anticipated the Kurdistan Democratic Party to secure three seats in the Provincial Council out of a total of 15 seats allocated for Kirkuk Council, in addition to the Christian quota seat. Kakayi affirmed that "the people of Kirkuk, especially the Kurds, are eager to participate in the elections to restore Kirkuk's political and social equilibrium, counting on fair and impartial elections that safeguard everyone's rights."

Kakayi emphasized the Kurdish aspiration to restore Kirkuk's balance pre-October 2017 events and reclaim positions that Kurds and the Kurdistan Democratic Party had lost over the past years. She regarded the return of the Democratic Party's headquarters and its political presence in Kirkuk as a "significant morale booster for Kirkuk's Kurdish population in exercising a democracy absent from the province for 18 years."

In the 2005 Kirkuk Provincial Council elections, the Kurds participated in a single list called "Brotherhood List" and secured 26 seats out of 41 seats in the Council.

According to Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, 16 alliances will compete for the 15 seats in Kirkuk's Provincial Council, with Kurds entering these elections with multiple lists and alliances.Kurdish parties eager' to change political landscape in Kirkuk

Shafaq News / The two major Kurdish parties in Kirkuk leaned towards the prospect of Kurds securing more than half of the seats in the Kirkuk Provincial Council during the local elections held today, Monday. They aimed to regain their "lost" political and national rights, highlighting a noticeable Kurdish public interest in the elections to restore the province's ethnic balance.

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, Sabah Habib, a representative of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in Kirkuk, expressed confidence that "Kurds will secure at least 8 seats in the upcoming Kirkuk Council elections, enabling us to reclaim the governorate position and our administrative rights that have been withheld for 6 years." He emphasized the desire to construct a robust political council in Kirkuk, advocating for the rights of the three major components (Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen) and fostering peaceful coexistence based on principles of justice.

Habib underscored that "the upcoming Kirkuk Council elections will mark a political and pivotal turning point after the absence of local elections in the province since 2005." He urged political forces to prioritize Kirkuk's higher interests and its residents over partisan and nationalist agendas.

On a different note, Najwa Kakayi, a member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk, anticipated the Kurdistan Democratic Party to secure three seats in the Provincial Council out of a total of 15 seats allocated for Kirkuk Council, in addition to the Christian quota seat. Kakayi affirmed that "the people of Kirkuk, especially the Kurds, are eager to participate in the elections to restore Kirkuk's political and social equilibrium, counting on fair and impartial elections that safeguard everyone's rights."

Kakayi emphasized the Kurdish aspiration to restore Kirkuk's balance pre-October 2017 events and reclaim positions that Kurds and the Kurdistan Democratic Party had lost over the past years. She regarded the return of the Democratic Party's headquarters and its political presence in Kirkuk as a "significant morale booster for Kirkuk's Kurdish population in exercising a democracy absent from the province for 18 years."

In the 2005 Kirkuk Provincial Council elections, the Kurds participated in a single list called "Brotherhood List" and secured 26 seats out of 41 seats in the Council.

According to Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, 16 alliances will compete for the 15 seats in Kirkuk's Provincial Council, with Kurds entering these elections with multiple lists and alliances.