PUK faction: A party compromised Kirkuk for two seats

P.U.K 04:23 PM - 2023-03-27

Iraqi parliament

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) faction in the Iraqi parliament says: "A political party compromised Kirkuk for narrow party interests, to get the Christians' two quota seats and the votes of displaced in the camps of the Nineveh Plain."

The third amendment to the electoral law of the Iraqi parliament and provincial councils, which consists of 15 articles, was adopted on Monday, March 27, 2023, by a majority vote of the 189 MPs in attendance.

The PUK faction in the Iraqi parliament released a statement regarding the issue which said:

The third amendment to the electoral law was approved by the Council of Representatives (Iraqi parliament) this morning after much debate and dissent. The PUK faction did not support the articles related to Kirkuk province, so it did not vote for these articles and the entire law.

Although there haven't been elections for the Kirkuk provincial council since 2004 due to political reasons, we participated in the meeting to include Kirkuk in the elections. However, the requirements set for auditing the voter registration list are ambiguous, unfair, and biased against the Kurdish community as follows:

1. The article that was accepted differs from the one that was produced with the support of all communities the day before but was not put to a vote because the meeting wasn't conducted at that time.

2. It is true that the 1957 census serves as one of the legal foundations for the concept of Kirkuk voters, but a previous section of the law outlines the issues with this idea due to the existing administrative boundaries of Kirkuk. According to the 1957 census, Kirkuk included the present-day Kurdish-controlled regions of Chamchamal, Kalar, Kifri, and Tuz Khurmatu, however, according to the new law, residents of these areas can not vote to choose Kirkuk provincial council. The PUK faction had earlier requested the addition of Sargaran administration when the faction leaders convened in front of the Council of Representatives speaker. The request was approved.

3. One of the new law's provisions that give the right to those who had food forms in Kirkuk before 2003, invalidates the 1957 census and gives the voting right to resettled Arabs. This clause was approved without the consent of the Kurds.

We inform the Kurdish public opinion that even if we had abstained, the meeting would have gone ahead once the required number of parties had shown up because some political parties had previously agreed to pass the law. As a result, we were compelled to attend in order to exert one last effort on behalf of Kirkuk, and we did not vote for any provisions that went against the wishes of our people.

Sadly, the Kurdish forces did not approach this crucial matter in unity. In exchange for the two quota seats of the Christians and the votes of the displaced in the camps on the Nineveh Plain, a particular political party compromised for its narrow party interests.

The PUK is adamant about sticking to its objectives and strategies in defending Kirkuk and all the unjustly split Kurdish lands. It will not compromise Kirkuk for specific party objectives and will use every constitutional, legal, and political avenue available to support Kirkuk. It also won't forget the resilient Kirkuki people.

PUK faction in the Iraqi parliament
March 27, 2023



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