SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) on Monday announced the formation of a coalition for Iraq’s provincial elections in the disputed-Kirkuk province.
Iraq’s provincial elections are scheduled for Dec. 18, the country’s first local vote in a decade.
The KIU and KJG said they had formed the “Kirkuk Torch Coalition” for the upcoming provincial election, according to a press conference.
Kurdish parties seek to maintain the Kurdish votes in the disputed areas between the Kurdish and Iraqi authorities, especially in the oil-rich disputed Kirkuk province.
Earlier, The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Communist Party announced the formation of a separate coalition for similar purposes.