In a statement released on Saturday, October 19, the leading bishops of the churches in Ankawa in Erbil called on the Christian community “to participate actively and genuinely in the upcoming Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections.

“Participation in this democratic process is our duty as believers, as our Christian values reflect our commitment to justice and the common good and reflect our faith in the country we live in, and indeed it lives within us.

“Elections represent an opportunity to express our opinions and choose representatives who reflect our aspirations and contribute with the rest of their brothers and sisters in Parliament to continue shaping and building a better future for coming generations.

“Today, the beloved Kurdistan Region embraces the largest harmonious and stable Christian community in the Middle East, and preserving this advantage is the responsibility of all of us.”

The letter was signed by Archbishop Nathanael Nizar Samaan, head of the Syriac-Catholic diocese of Hadiab, Archbishop Bashar M. Warda, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, and Bishop Mor Nicodemos Daoud Matti Sharaf, President of the Syriac Orthodox Church in the Kurdistan Region, Kirkuk, and Mosul.

Several Christian candidates are participating in the upcoming Kurdistan Parliament elections that will take place on Sunday, October 20, including Rami Nouri Siawash, the current mayor of Ankawa.

On October 14, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani laid the foundation stones for a housing unit for vulnerable people and a park in the Christian-majority Ankawa district.

“We are proud to be a nation that takes pride in the peaceful coexistence of its religious and ethnic components. Ankawa has always been recognized as a place of coexistence, peace, and togetherness,” Prime Minister Barzani said at the ceremony.