SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the rival Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are set to meet for election talks this week, according to a party official on Saturday, marking the second round of talks in a week.
Last Tuesday, the election agencies of the PUK and KPD held a meeting on talks on the Kurdistan Region’s overdue parliamentary election in Erbil, reaching an agreement to amend four articles of the disputed electoral law between the two rival sides.
The two sides agreed to amend four articles of the electoral law among which the significant ones were the ballot system will be semi-open and the electoral system will be a multiple-district formula.
Parliamentary elections are held every four years in the Kurdistan Region with the last one taking place in September 2018 in which the ballot system was open with a single-district formula.
The PUK and KPD have been at odds chiefly to pick a time to hold the overdue Kurdistan Region parliamentary election also amendments to the electoral law.
The Deputy Chairman of the PUK faction, Luqman Wardy who is also a member of the party delegation that is in talks with the KDP to settle the election issues said that the PUK and KDP are set to meet either on Monday or Tuesday.
Wardy did not provide further details.
According to information Esta has obtained the second meeting which is set to take place this week has supposed to be held on Saturday, however, following a demand from the PUK the meeting has been postponed.
Esta Media Network has learned that the PUK seeks further amendments to the electoral law, particularly to address the “problem” of quota seats of minorities within the Kurdistan legislative chamber.
A minimum quota of 30% of seats in the 111-seat house is reserved for women and 11 seats for parties representing minorities.
Speaking on the overdue Kurdistan election the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani earlier on Wednesday warned that if the “obstacles continue the election may never be held,” adding the PUK program is to let minorities represent themselves.
“Let’s listen to themselves [minorities] for this decision,” he added. “The components must truly represent themselves,” Talabani stressed, according to a separate statement on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Amanj Abdulrazaq, a well-known Turkmen figure and political observer living in Kurdistan’s Kifir on Thursday stated that “The components parliament seats have been unevenly divided on the Kurdistan Region geography.”
“The components seats have been manipulated in the interest of a certain party which is a huge grievance,” Abdulrazaq added.
“Those who represent the Turkmens have never paid a visit to Kifri where nearly 600 Turkmen voted for their representatives during the last election.”
