KIU leader urges people to vote, Kurdish parties to foster unity in Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The leader of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) said Thursday that Iraq's November 11 legislative vote is part of the shifting regional dynamics, urging people across the Kurdistan Region to vote, while calling on Kurdish parties to foster unity in Baghdad.

"The November 11 election is a historical day for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. It is an important day that the Kurdistan nation in general, including all forces, figures, and loyal citizens of Kurdistan, and the entire nations of Iraq, as a whole, to head to the polling stations and vote for their favourite candidates whom they believe can defend their rights and advocate for their desires," Salahaddin Bahaaddin, the KIU’s secretary-general said.  

Campaigning began on October 3 and will continue until November 8. Security forces and special voters will cast their ballots on November 9, followed by the general election on November 11.

Addressing his party's supporters at a rally in Erbil, Bahaaddin said "different political views inside the Kurdistan Region is not an issue... but in a place like the Iraqi House of Representatives, at this delicate phase, may have negative repercussions," he said.

Bahaaddin urged the Kurdis parties to soften the rhetoric as campaigning for the legislative is coming to an end. "Not doing so means failure and will have negative consequences for all of us," he said.

"We are calling on all parties and other lists, to calm the situation down right from today, and make preparations for the next stage," he said. "Whatever the outcome of the elections will be... does not deserve to cause chaos."  

The KIU is fielding 16 candidates for the November vote - five in Erbil, five in Sulaimani, five in Duhok, and one in Kirkuk.

The KIU has experienced significant decline in parliamentary representations in Baghdad and Erbil. In the 2024 elections of the Kurdistan Region, KIU’s seats, however, witnessed a humble jump to seven and the party has decided to remain in opposition. It and the other opposition parties are skeptical about participating in the government, fearing that joining the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan's (PUK) coalition might alienate their supporters.

The KIU currently has four seats in the Iraqi parliament.

Bahaddin has been the leader of the party since its inception, apart from a short period from 2014 to 2018, when he stepped down from the position.

The KIU, when first founded in 1994 during the chaos of the Kurdish civil war, worked on proselytizing work among Kurds and acted as fierce opposition to the established KDP. It is linked to the global Muslim Brotherhood movement, and it is largely considered its Kurdish franchise.

On Wednesday, Ali Bapir, leader of the  Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), the second largest Islamic party, made quite a similar plea when he strongly criticized "the intense" campaigning atmosphere for the parliamentary elections as a "shame".

"The disgusting words the parties use against each other are a shame, and people outside will see us as ridiculous," he said, without referring to any specific parties.