Kurdish official calls upcoming census a “National Matter” amid dispute over demographic balance
Shafaq News/On Wednesday, Saadi Pira, the spokesperson for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan(PUK), described Iraq’s upcoming national census as a “general nationalmatter.”
In a pressconference held in Erbil, Pira urged residents to return to their originalareas and participate in the census. “This issue concerns the future of theregion,” he stated, emphasizing the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) responsibilityto facilitate people’s return to their hometowns.
Pira alsohighlighted Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani's recent visit to theKurdistan Region, following recent elections, as pivotal. “The visit couldbolster efforts to ensure success in Iraq’s next elections.”
Meanwhile,Iraq’s cabinet decided on Tuesday to delay releasing census results fordisputed areas until they can be compared with the 1957 census data, accordingto former Kurdish MP Bakhtiar Shawis.
Shawisunderscored the importance of this step for ensuring accurate population datain the contested areas.
The censusis a sensitive topic in Iraq, particularly in disputed areas where demographicbalances affect political control.
The GeneralBoard for Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region recently requested a postponementof the census, a request denied by Iraq’s Ministry of Interior, which insistedthe census proceed as planned and include all communities—Kurds, Arabs, andTurkmen—with coordination from the KRG.
Theexclusion of an ethnicity question in the census has raised concerns amongresidents of disputed territories, particularly among Kurds, Arabs, andTurkmen, who fear it may affect demographic representation.
The Ministryof Planning asserts that the census is solely for economic and developmentalpurposes and has no political intent. However, some politicians and residentsargue that excluding ethnic identification contradicts Iraq’s constitution andthe rights of disputed areas to self-identify.
