ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The largest Kurdish Islamic party announced it will run independently in Iraq’s May 12 elections, a party official confirmed. “In the beginning, we supported the idea of a joint list for the Kurdistani parties. Since this option did not come to fruition, the KIU will run for the elections on an independent list,” Hadi Ali, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Islamic Union, told Rudaw. Ali added that they will run on their independent list in the disputed areas as well. As Iraqi elections approach, many political parties have begun forming alliances with hopes of garnering more of the popular vote. Gorran, Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal), and the newly-established Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) announced last week they will run on a joint list in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. They named their alliance Nishtiman, meaning homeland. The Kurdistan Region is also expected to hold elections sometime in the first half of the year.
