Registration begins today for candidates wishing to run in the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary and presidential elections on November 1.
“On Sunday, registration commence for the lists and political parties for the fifth round of elections of Kurdistan’s parliament and candidates for the presidency of the Kurdistan Region,” Jutiar Adil, a member of the Kurdistan Region High Electoral Committe told Rudaw.
He said that the duration for registration will last until September 18.
Parliamentary and presidential elections in the Kurdistan Region are due to be held on November 1. The current parliament’s term will end on November 6.
Current President Masoud Barzani has ruled him and his family members out from running in the presidential election.
Barzani’s sons fill a number of key positions in the Kurdish government, including Masrour who is the Chancellor of the Kurdistan Security Council.
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani is also his nephew.
Masoud Barzani's term in office ended in 2013 after serving two four-year terms and was then extended for two years by an act from the then Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) dominated parliament. It was further extended by a Kurdish court when the political parties failed to reach a negotiated solution.
Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 38 seats in 2013, followed by the Gorran (Change) Movement with 24 seats, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 18, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) with 10, and the Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) with 6.
Following the elections, Gorran, established in 2009, joined the broad-based KDP-led government, holding a number of key posts including heading the ministries of Peshmerga and finance, as well the parliament speaker.
Following days of protests and rising tensions between KDP and Gorran, the KDP sacked the Gorran ministers and blocked parliament speaker Yousif Mohammed from returning to the parliament building in October 2015.
The Kurdistan legislature has not convened since and every attempt to reactivate the parliament has failed.
The post of the vice presidency is held by Kosrat Rasul of the PUK.
http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/020920172
PLEASE NOBODY VOTE FOR THE GORRAN
