Head of Nasr list in Duhok says Abadi not visiting city 'unacceptable'
DUHOK, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the head of the Victory Coalition cancelled his stop to Duhok due lack of a well-organized plan, said an official, who is urging him to visit to garner support for the list’s candidates.
“If Abadi chooses not to come, it will affect our votes, therefore we do not accept him visiting all Iraq and Kurdistan’s cities, but not Duhok,” Nasir Barwari, the head of the Abadi list in Duhok told Rudaw.
“Now that he has not come people mock us saying, ‘Why did Abadi not come to Duhok?' ” Barwari said.
Abadi had announced a visit to Duhok on Thursday, only to then postpone it.
Abadi cancelled the visit to Duhok “because it turned out there were not good preparations made for the scheduled visit,” added Barwari.
Abadi, the incumbent Iraqi prime minister, has campaigned for support in the Kurdistan Region. He was in Sulaimani on Wednesday evening and in Erbil on Thursday morning, introducing his list’s candidates in both provinces for Iraqi parliament elections on May 12. Abadi also visited Kirkuk and Diyala to campaign over the weekend.
He was expected to stop in Duhok, including a visit to Khanke to meet with Yezidis.
Barwari revealed that a delegation from Baghdad came to Duhok on Saturday checking preparations, “but they did not decide on a date for him to come.”
He added the delegation will come back again.
“It is not clear to us when [Abadi] will come, or he will not come at all.”
He claimed that with a single visit of Abadi to Duhok “they could secure two seats.”
Each candidate has received $4,000 from the Nasr Coalition “and they have pledged to pay more,” said Barwari.
Four Arab lists have a total of 52 candidates in the Kurdistan Region – a marked increase over the 2014 elections. The Victory Coalition has six candidates in Duhok.
Duhok has 11 seats in the Iraqi parliament. In the last parliamentary elections in 2014, the KDP won eight seats, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) got two, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) earned one. The province also has one minority quota seat.
“If Abadi chooses not to come, it will affect our votes, therefore we do not accept him visiting all Iraq and Kurdistan’s cities, but not Duhok,” Nasir Barwari, the head of the Abadi list in Duhok told Rudaw.
“Now that he has not come people mock us saying, ‘Why did Abadi not come to Duhok?' ” Barwari said.
Abadi had announced a visit to Duhok on Thursday, only to then postpone it.
Abadi cancelled the visit to Duhok “because it turned out there were not good preparations made for the scheduled visit,” added Barwari.
Abadi, the incumbent Iraqi prime minister, has campaigned for support in the Kurdistan Region. He was in Sulaimani on Wednesday evening and in Erbil on Thursday morning, introducing his list’s candidates in both provinces for Iraqi parliament elections on May 12. Abadi also visited Kirkuk and Diyala to campaign over the weekend.
He was expected to stop in Duhok, including a visit to Khanke to meet with Yezidis.
Barwari revealed that a delegation from Baghdad came to Duhok on Saturday checking preparations, “but they did not decide on a date for him to come.”
He added the delegation will come back again.
“It is not clear to us when [Abadi] will come, or he will not come at all.”
He claimed that with a single visit of Abadi to Duhok “they could secure two seats.”
Each candidate has received $4,000 from the Nasr Coalition “and they have pledged to pay more,” said Barwari.
Four Arab lists have a total of 52 candidates in the Kurdistan Region – a marked increase over the 2014 elections. The Victory Coalition has six candidates in Duhok.
Duhok has 11 seats in the Iraqi parliament. In the last parliamentary elections in 2014, the KDP won eight seats, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) got two, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) earned one. The province also has one minority quota seat.