US Ambassador calls for strong government in Kurdistan
Shafaq News/ On Monday, US Ambassador Alina Romanowski called for the formation of a "strong" government in the Kurdistan Region, emphasizing that the Region's stability significantly contributes to the strength and stability of Baghdad.
"We commend the process of the Region elections, which were relatively smooth and reflected democratic procedures. There were only a few instances of manipulation or fraud, which were rejected and challenged. Additionally, the voter turnout was high compared to previous years, leading to results that reflected the diverse viewpoints within Kurdistan," Romanowsky stated to Shafaq News Agency.
"The electoral process itself represents one of two aspects. The first aspect involves organizing and conducting the elections, which was successfully achieved. The second aspect is the formation of a new government that represents the will of the Kurdish citizens who participated and expressed their opinions through the ballot boxes."
Romanowski continued, "Now the full responsibility lies with the various political parties in the Kurdistan Region to form the government. This is where the difficulty lies, especially amid a lack of trust between different parties, particularly the Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union (PUK). However, we encourage and urge all political parties in the Region to form the government as quickly as possible in the interest of the public and the Kurdish people."
She also pointed out that the Kurdish people need a strong government, and "dialogues with the central government concerning the financial and energy sectors require a strong government to reach decisive decisions. This benefits both Baghdad and Erbil, leading to a correction of the course between the two sides."
The sixth parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region were held on October 20, 2024, across four electoral districts, with the final results announced on October 30, 2024.
According to the final results, the KDP secured 39 seats with approximately 809,197 votes, reinforcing its position as the largest party in the parliament.
The PUK came in second with 23 seats, garnering around 408,141 votes, while the New Generation Movement (Al-Jeel Al-Jadeed- NGM) obtained 15 seats with the support of 290,991 votes.
The Kurdistan Islamic Union secured seven seats, the National Position Movement won four seats, the Kurdistan Justice Group obtained three seats, the People's Front gained two seats, the Change Movement (Gorran) received one seat, and the Kurdistan Region Alliance also secured one seat.
