ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Haider al-Abadi arrived in Kirkuk on Saturday to campaign for his Nasr (Victory) Coalition candidates in the province.
Abadi, the current prime minister of Iraq, announced his arrival in the province around 11 a.m.
Kurdish TV channels have been barred from reporting in Kirkuk.
Abadi has campaigned on Iraqi unity following the defeat of ISIS. He has promised a similar war against corruption. He campaigned in Sulaimani and Erbil provinces Wednesday and Thursday, but postponed a planned stop in Duhok. Campaign organizers prevented Kurdish TV cameras from covering the event inside the hall in Erbil.
Supporters of Abadi turn out at a rally in Kirkuk on April 28, 2018.
Abadi is a member of former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party. Maliki is heading the State of Law Coalition, which is not running candidates in Kirkuk.
Last October, Iraqi forces supported by Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries took control of Kirkuk, which had previously been under Peshmerga control. Kirkuk is a disputed or Kurdistani area that is claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.
The Kurdish party with the most seats in the Iraqi parliament, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), is not running candidates in what it has called an "occupied" city.
People attend Abadi's rally in Kirkuk on April 28, 2018.
The Kurdish parties of Komal, Gorran, and Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) have formed the Homeland (Nishtiman) alliance in the disputed territories, while the PUK and Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) are running separate campaigns. The Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM) has joined the KDP in the boycott.
Banners and posters promoting Kurdish candidates running in Kirkuk were torn up or thrown into the gutter last week.
Diverse and oil-rich Kirkuk will elect 13 candidates including the minority quota to fill seats in Baghdad on May 12.
There is a large Turkmen population in Kirkuk. The largest party and list, the Turkmen Front, has two MPs in the outgoing Iraqi parliament — both from Kirkuk.
Last updated at 11:55 a.m.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment