Kurdish President Barzani: Opposition parties in any political system “are not enemies”
Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President, NechirvanBarzani, emphasized that opposition parties in any political system are not“enemies,” highlighting that the high Kurdish voter turnout in the RegionalParliamentary elections places all political parties under “a major test.”
Speaking at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) conference,Barzani said, "Opposition in any political system can help monitor thegovernment and assess its performance. We view this constructively: someparties join the government, others the opposition—but they are not enemies;this is natural political competition."
Referring to the recent Parliamentary elections which he described as"one of the most transparent electoral processes in the Kurdistan Region,”Barzani stated, "I believe that all political parties face a major test,as 72% of Kurdish citizens participated in the elections, sending a message oftrust to the political forces.”
“You must prove worthy of this trust,” he added. “It is time forpolitical parties to sit together to form the government."
According to figures announced by the Independent High ElectoralCommission (IHEC), Barzani noted that “the next government must be a coalition,”emphasizing that “forming this coalition should prioritize negotiations betweenpolitical parties to establish the government swiftly, which is crucial for theKurdistan Region's internal stability and its position in Baghdad.”
"The elections have been held four times, and there wereclaims that if the elections were held, there would be major problems,” Barzaninoted, “However, the election campaign ended without issues. We will not returnto two administrations; instead, we will have zero administrations."
Barzani further emphasized that "the Kurdistan Region wasestablished according to the constitution, which was voted on by more than 80%of the Iraqi people, granting legitimacy to the institutions. I believe thatthese elections were the most important held in Kurdistan since 1992, so wemust now work on finding a suitable mechanism to resolve the issues withBaghdad, and these issues can be resolved when the internal situation isorganized."
This story will be updated with further details…
