President Barzani vows support for minority representation in next Iraqi government

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The head of the Yazidi bloc in the Iraqi parliament said on Wednesday that minority groups have requested a ministerial portfolio in the next cabinet, with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani pledging his support.

“We, as the three components of Yazidis, Sabeans, and Feyli Kurds, have reached an agreement to work together to secure our constitutional rights in the new Iraqi government,” Khalid Sido told Rudaw.

Sido added that President Barzani has “promised to play a role in conveying our demands” to Iraq’s leading Shiite bloc, the Coordination Framework, and other political parties.

During a two-day visit to Baghdad, President Barzani held a series of high-level meetings with leaders from across the political spectrum. He also met with representatives of minority groups and provincial officials as consultations to form the country’s next cabinet continue.

On the second day of his visit, Barzani met with Yazidi, Feyli Kurdish, and Sabean-Mandaean lawmakers in the federal parliament. Discussions focused on the situation of these communities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.

Sido said the groups have requested a ministry for the Yazidi community - specifically the Ministry of Migration and Displacement or the Ministry of Culture.

“Yazidis have been living in camps for over 12 years, and previous governments have failed to resolve their issues,” he said. “Therefore, it is time for the Yazidis to have their own ministry.”

According to the Kurdistan Region Presidency, President Barzani reaffirmed efforts to ensure the inclusion of these communities in political and administrative frameworks, stressing that such participation would strengthen stability and reinforce “the values of justice and equality.”

Following its advance into northern and western Iraq in 2014, the Islamic State launched a brutal campaign against the Yazidi community in Shingal after seizing large swathes of territory.

The group abducted 6,417 Yazidi women and children, many of whom were subjected to sexual slavery and forced labor. At least 5,000 Yazidi men and elderly women were killed.

The United Nations has recognized the attack on the Yazidis as an act of genocide.

There currently are three Yazidi lawmakers representing the minority group in the Iraqi parliament.