Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani met with the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Erbil Jaco Beerends and the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany to Erbil Klaus Streicher on April 2 and praised the role of the Netherlands and Germany in supporting the cause of the Kurdish people.
President @masoud_barzani receives the Consuls of the Netherlands and Germany in Erbil
— KDP ForeignRelations (@kdpfro) April 2, 2024
President Masoud Barzani received today in Salahaddin، Mr. Jaco Beerends , Consul General of the Netherlands and Mr. Klaus Streicher, Consul General of Germany in the Kurdistan Region.
The… pic.twitter.com/nUB8fZWvag
Both the Dutch Consul General and German Consul General reportedly affirmed their countries’ support for conducting fair elections in the Kurdistan Region.
They also pledged assistance to relevant regional parties in overcoming political crises.
President Barzani stressed that the KDP has made every effort to hold elections on time over the past two years.
However, he said that elections have been openly prevented through outside interference and rulings from the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq that are in opposition to holding fair elections. He underlined that this has led to the exclusion of ethnic and religious components from the elections.
Furthermore, he said the exclusion of 400,000 voters and the imposition of improper procedures and mechanisms means that the elections do not reflect “the true voice of the Kurdistan people.”
Read More: KDP Did Not Request Delaying Elections in Kurdistan: Spokesperson
On March 18, the KDP announced its boycott of the elections following rulings by the Federal Supreme Court that undermine the Kurdistan Region’s institutions.
The Court’s February 21 ruling eliminated quota seats for religious groups in the Kurdistan Region Parliament and reduced the parliament’s seats from 111 to 100.
In an April 2 meeting with Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine Antoinette Plasschaert, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani underlined that the KRG fully supports free, fair, and credible elections without constitutional violations and interference.
He also added that there is a need to respect the Kurdistan Region “as a federal entity and for the ethnic, religious, and national groups in it.”
Additionally, he invited international electoral observers to ensure a fair, credible, and transparent process. During the meeting both Prime Minister Barzani and UNAMI Head Plasschaert “agreed to tackle the roadblocks in ways that protect the democratic process and stability of the Kurdistan Region.”
