KDP official: no elections without our participation, federal court is fascist
Shafaq News/ A senior official from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) on Wednesday said that a parliamentary election in Iraqi Kurdistan shall not take place without the participation of its largest party, denouncing the rulings of the Federal Supreme Court as "fascist."
Ari Harsin, head of the KDP's fourth branch, told reporters in a press conference earlier today that the party has submitted its observations on the elections but will ultimately leave the decision to the Kurdish people regarding the Federal Court's rulings.
"The KDP has not presented a project or program for the elections," Harsin said. "We have only expressed our observations and left the decision to the people."
He challenged the Federal Court's authority, stating that if it is capable of dissolving the KRG government and presidency, it should do so. Harsin warned that if Kurdish political parties are content with the threat to the the region's entity, "then they have surrendered."
Harsin stressed that "there will be no elections without the KDP." He went on to criticize the Federal Court, calling it a "fascist court" and asserting that "there will be no elections under its rulings."
Earlier today, Majid Shingali, a member of the KDP bloc in the Iraqi parliament, told Shafaq News Against, "We do not believe that the Kurdistan Parliament elections will be held if the KDP boycotts them."
He explained that "it is not possible to conduct this electoral process without the participation of the largest party, which holds 45 seats in the previous parliament and has a political presence in two of the three governorates of the region, Erbil and Duhok."
Shingali expressed hope that solutions would be found for the current crisis, as "not finding solutions is not in the interests of anyone." He suggested that the elections could be postponed until an agreement is reached on conducting the electoral process under different rules than those set by the Federal Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, KDP leader Masoud Barzani stressed the need to address all technical obstacles and constitutional and legal violations related to the Kurdistan elections. He emphasized that the KDP is the founder of legitimacy and elections in the region and that it is in favor of holding free and fair elections.
The Independent High Electoral Commission in Erbil announced that the KDP had not submitted its participation papers for the Kurdistan elections, following the party's announcement on March 18 that it would boycott the parliamentary elections.
The KDP has threatened to withdraw from the political process in Iraq if the "State Administration" coalition does not commit to implementing agreements, following the Federal Supreme Court's rulings on the Kurdistan Parliament Elections Law, which included abolishing "quota" seats and replacing the Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission with the federal one.
