In a statement on April 2, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) spokesperson Mahmoud Mohammed denied media reports that the KDP had requested to delay the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections, emphasizing the party’s support for “constitutional, transparent, and equitable elections.”

“We hereby declare that this claim has no basis and the KDP insists on its position and does not accept any illegal interference in the elections,” Mohammed said. “The KDP considers it necessary to resolve all technical shortcomings and constitutional and legal violations in the conduct of elections.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani signed a decree on March 3 that will pave the way for Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections to take place on June 10, 2024, after they were delayed several times since October 2022.

In a statement released on March 18, the Political Bureau of the KDP announced that the KDP would boycott the elections. 

The KDP decision came after rulings by the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq that have undermined the institutions of the Kurdistan Region. On February 21, the Court eliminated quota seats for religious components, including Christians, within the Kurdistan Region and decreased the number of seats in the Kurdistan Region parliament from 111 to 100.

“The elimination of the quota seats allocated for component communities in the Kurdistan Parliamentary Election Law undermines a cornerstone of free and fair elections: the guarantee of equal and equitable opportunities for all citizens,” the KDP said on March 18.

In a piece for the Washington Institute’s Fikra Forum on April 1, KDP Political Bureau member Dr. Hemin Hawrami argued that the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq must be reformed and its previous actions must be comprehensively reviewed as the Court in its current form was intended to be temporary and has no basis in the federal constitution adopted in October 2005.

Nevertheless, Mohammed confirmed that “postponing the elections was indeed deliberated (by the KDP) within the framework of ensuring the KDP’s full engagement in the electoral process.” 

“It is imperative to emphasize that the KDP consistently advocates for constitutional, transparent, and equitable elections. We demand a process that is devoid of any form of malpractice, ensuring a clean and impeccable electoral exercise,” he concluded.

In a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Alina Romanowski on March 30, KDP President Masoud Barzani told Ambassador Romanowski that the elections cannot be held without the participation of the Kurdistan Region’s religious communities and “that if all parties want the KDP to participate in the elections, they must take into account the reservations of the KDP to hold transparent and fair elections that serve stability and the democratic process.”

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq had extended the deadline for candidate list submissions until March 31, but the KDP did not submit any candidates.