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WASHINGTON —The semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Wednesday officially began a campaign phase for its parliamentary elections scheduled for October 20.
The vote, which was rescheduled five times due to political disagreements over the election system, comes at a time when the region is still suffering from a financial crisis related to disagreements with the Iraqi government.
"Everyone is free to propagate their policies and programs, to criticize, but no one must allow themselves to spread hatred," said Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani.
The region was supposed to hold the election by the end of 2022, but the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) were not able to reach an agreement about amending the region's electoral system, particularly minority quota seats. Consequently, the Kurdish parliament was suspended in May 2023.
Relations with Baghdad
At the center of the election is the debate over the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) prolonged financial crisis due to the lack of cash flow from Baghdad.
The region's public sector employees continue to suffer from unpaid and delayed salaries, as Irbil and Baghdad continue their painstaking talks on the KRG internal revenues, employee list and oil contracts.
The crisis goes back to February 2014, when Iraq's then-Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki cut the Kurdish share of the Iraqi budget to protest the KRG's independent oil exports via Turkey. It was worsened by an Islamic State attack in August 2014, the Iraqi and Iranian pushback against the October 2017 Kurdish referendum for independence, and Turkey's decision to halt oil exports from KRG in March 2023.
While the KDP officials accuse the Iraqi central government of keeping the KRG budget "hostage" to weaken Kurdish autonomy, the opposition parties blame, at least in part, the lack of transparency of KRG internal revenues and oil contracts with foreign companies.
During his first campaign appearance, which was held in the Kurdistan Region capital, Irbil, on Wednesday, KDP head Masoud Barzani began his speech to zealous supporters acknowledging the Kurdish independence referendum anniversary, congratulating people "on this sacred day, when the nation of Kurdistan did not allow its will to be broken and did not bow itself."
Barzani noted restored relations with the current Iraqi government led by Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani but warned his supporters against "a chauvinistic mindset" targeting the Kurdish people in Iraq.
Barzani also recognized shortcomings in governance but asked voters to "put criticism aside for now" and vowed reform "from the top" after the elections.
Governance and corruption
While the KDP appeals to the nationalist sentiment of voters in the region, its main competitor, PUK, is focused on countering the KDP's "self-imposition" and offering itself as a better alternative to rule the region.
"Only the PUK can readjust this crippled governance," PUK leader Bafel Talabani said in a televised address on Wednesday.
Talabani accused the KDP of abusing the region's revenues for its own benefit and failing to defend Kurdish rights in Baghdad.
He presented "a new PUK," which he said will act upon its promises of fighting corruption and mismanagement.
Talabani counted the appointment of a Kurdish governor for Kirkuk from his party and his pressure to change the KRG electoral system as proof for a stronger comeback of the PUK, which has been riddled with separation and internal divisions, particularly after the death of his father and the PUK's founding leader and former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani.
In 2013 the Change Movement, one of the key offshoots of the PUK, won 24 seats out of the region's then 111 parliament seats, leading the PUK by six seats.
Divided opposition
But the Change Movement over the years has suffered a significant setback among voters who are seeking an alternative to the KDP-PUK ruling system. Additionally, the appearance of more opposition groups, such as the New Generation, is expected to further divide the opposition votes to the benefit of the KDP and PUK, experts say.
Renowned Kurdish politician Mahmoud Osman told VOA from Irbil, "Whether the elections are held or not, there will be no change in Kurdistan's governance, because the KDP rules one zone and the PUK rules another."
He added, "The newly established parties are minor to the KDP and the PUK, which control the armed forces."
The outbreak of civil war in 1994 split the Kurdistan Region into two zones, with the KDP controlling the yellow zone in Irbil and Duhok provinces, and the PUK in charge of the green zone in Sulaimaniyah and Halabja provinces.
In 2006, both parties signed an agreement to create a joint administration, but division, especially in the Peshmerga forces, continues to hold back the region from its aspirations for stronger government institutions.
"The will for change is present among the people of Kurdistan but not in the political parties," Luqman Ali, a political observer from Sulaimaniyah, told VOA.
He charged that political parties in the region used parliament members as "employees" to implement their agendas.
"So long as the government is not institutionalized to prioritize people over parties and political individuals, these elections will not bring about any considerable change," he said.
About 2.9 million people from the region's four provinces are eligible to vote in the October 20 election, which is organized by Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
IHEC spokeswoman Jumana al-Ghalai on Tuesday told VOA Kurdish Service that her commission is taking various steps to ensure a transparent process.
"The vote-counting process will be conducted both manually and electronically. If the difference between them is 5%, manual counting will be used," she said.
According to Aram Jamal, head of the Kurdish Institute for Elections, despite challenges in the system, the vote is an important step for the region's democratic process. The participation of more than 1,190 candidates in the election will ensure an intense campaign, he said.
"What is important is to have a calm and civilized competition away from violence," Jamal told VOA. "The chances for fraud have been eliminated to a great extent and therefore, a new voting phase has started."
This story originated in VOA's Kurdish Service with contributions from Snur Karim, Zhiyar Mohammed and Dilshad Anwar.