Iraq’s Kurdish region prepares for delayed key elections amid political rivalry and reforms

(18 Oct 2024)
IRAQ KURDS ELECTIONS

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 2:56

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Irbil, Iraq – 15 October 2024
1. Wide of supporters of Kurdistan Democratic Party, of former president of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region Masoud Barzani, gathered in Irbil stadium, waving KDP flags
2. Various of supporters waving KDP flags
3. People attending campaign event
4. Pan of people gathered in stadium
5. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Zhila, no last name given, KDP supporter from Irbil:
"I feel very good seeing Irbil so crowded. We all came to participate in this beautiful (campaign) event. We will win, God willing, as we always do. Irbil remains ours, and we will not hand it over to outsiders."

6. Various of supporters of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, of former leader Jalal Talabani,
chanting (Kurdish): "Who is the leader? Bafel (Talabani), who is crown on the head? Bafel."
7. Various of supporters gathering for election campaign
8. People holding posters of PUK candidates
9. Poster of PUK leader Bafel Talabani
10. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Mohammed Hawdiyani, Kurdistan Islamic Union’s candidate for parliament:
"I believe this election will be much better and cleaner than previous ones because it is being supervised by the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission. The voting process is electronic. In the past, there was a lot of fraud, with many added names,(such as) dead voters or people who were not from this country but were still voting. However, all of that has been removed in this election. Therefore, we believe this election is much better, of higher quality, and cleaner compared to past elections."

11. Various of supporters on streets
12. Posters of candidates hung on pedestrian bridge
13. Posters of candidates on pavement
14. Framed picture of candidate with Regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani
15. SOUNDBITE (Kurdish) Abdul Khaliq Talaat, Kurdistan Democratic Party’s candidate for parliament:
"This election is indeed very important for Kurdistan, especially now, given the current situation in the region and in Kurdistan. As we can see, the situation is very tense. Therefore, it is crucial for the Kurdistan region and all political parties to hold this election and urge people to come to the polls, so we can have a proper parliament in the future."

++NIGHT SHOTS++
16. Various of posters hung on pedestrian bridge
17. Street shot from Irbil

STORYLINE:
Political parties and their supporters wrapped up intense election campaigns ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

Throughout the week, thousands attended rallies in the provinces of Irbil, Dohuk, Sulaymaniyah, and Halabja.

Posters featuring candidates also filled the streets across the northern region.

The elections will be held after a two-year delay, caused by political disagreements and rivalry between the two main powers in the Kurdish region: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by Masoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Bafel Talabani.

In February, after a number of complaints submitted by the PUK, the Iraqi Supreme Court issued several rulings regarding the Kurdish parliamentary elections.

One of the major rulings was the reduction of minority quota seats from 11 to 5, in an effort to prevent these seats from being exploited by major powers.

Special voting for police, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and others eligible for early voting was taking place on Friday, October 18.

AP video shot by Rashid Yahya

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