Kurdistan Justice Group rejects parliamentary seats: Will not participate in parliament rife with fraud
Shafaq News / On Saturday, AliBabir, the Head of the Kurdistan Islamic Justice Group, announced his party'sdecision to abstain from participating in the Kurdistan Region Parliament,stating that they do not wish to accept the three seats allocated to them.
During a press conference, Babirexpressed his gratitude to the people of Kurdistan for their activeparticipation in the elections, emphasizing “the significant role” thisparticipation played and asking God to reward them for their “good choices.”
Babir pointed out, "Returningto the people's opinion is a fundamental principle in Islam," stressing, "Thepeople have the right to hold officials accountable for their performance inlegislation and law enforcement."
He also clarified that his group isnot 100% convinced of the integrity of the election results. “There waswidespread fraud during the electoral process,” he indicated. "The fraudmay have been carried out by parties outside Iraq.”
Moreover, Babir stated that thegroup took this position to protect their votes and warn the authorities aboutthe dangers of manipulation. "We believe it's crucial to clarify ourposition; we will not participate in a parliament rife with fraud andmanipulation."
“While we demanded the integrity ofthe electoral process, we felt that the electoral commission's positions werenot sufficiently transparent,” he noted, urging the authorities in the Regionto avoid fraud and uphold credibility.
“Fraud and deception will ultimatelylead to community frustration and a loss of hope.”
The group’s Head also confirmed thattheir rejection of parliamentary seats does not mean distancing themselves frompolitical work. “We will continue our activities outside the parliament; our effortswill not be limited to the parliament and government.”
Furthermore, Babir noted that theiractual vote count was far higher than reported, expressing hopes that allparties contesting the election results will take a similar stance, and callingfor “accountability and transparency.”
“We urge that the final word be leftto the specialized committee and monitors,” Babir said, adding, “We hope ourgroup won’t have to take stronger positions in the future.”
These remarks came amid heightenedpolitical tensions in Kurdistan over the transparency of the October 20parliamentary elections.
Notably, Kurdistan’s sixthParliamentary elections took place on Sunday, where 1,091 candidates competedfor 100 seats, five of which are reserved for minority groups.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)has emerged as the leading party with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Unionof Kurdistan (PUK) with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement (Al-JilAl-Jadeed-NGM) securing 15 seats.
