Minister: Most Christians and Turkmen in KRI reside in Erbil and Duhok

Shafaq News / The Minister of Transportation and Communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Ano Jawhar Abdoka, affirmed on Saturday that the majority of Christian and Turkmen citizens reside in the governorates of Erbil and Duhok.

This statement was made during a press conference held with representatives of other components in the Kurdistan Region (KRI), including Christians, Turkmen, Yazidis, and the Mandaeans, following their meeting to discuss the issue of quotas in the legislative elections for the Region, scheduled to take place in February 2024.

Abdoka stated, "The Kurds are present in all regions of Kurdistan, but Turkmen, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Assyrians do not live in all areas. For instance, the majority of Turkmen reside in Erbil and Duhok, as do 99% of Chaldeans and Assyrians in these same governorates. Therefore, in our discussions, we demand unified communication to advocate for our rights."

Meanwhile, Turkmen leader Mona Qahwaji called on the Federal Supreme Court (the highest judicial authority in Iraq) to consider the uniqueness of the components and their representation in the elections in KRI.

This comes as there are pending cases before the Federal Court filed by Kurdish political parties regarding the quota seats and the conduct of Kurdistan Parliament elections. The decisions regarding these cases were initially set for December 3 but have been postponed.

Complaints have been lodged against five articles of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections law, related to the number of seats, single and multiple electoral districts, and the number of quota seats. These complaints were submitted by Ziyad Jabbar, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the fifth Kurdistan parliamentary session, and Amanj Najib Shamon, the representative of Christians in al-Sulaymaniyah’s 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, Syriacs, and Assyrians, with one seat for the Armenian component, in addition to five seats for Turkmen.

In 1992, the first parliamentary elections were held in Kurdistan. In 2004, the election law was amended to remove Article 9, which stipulated that KRI must consist of several electoral districts.