Inside the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s election: Delays, minority quotas and economic strain

Elections in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq are a key measure of its capacity for self-governance and democracy.

 

This year, the parliamentary election takes place amid internal divisions within Kurdish political parties. It comes 10 years since ISIS invaded Iraq, in an ethnically and religiously diverse part of the country where demographic divides are stark and tension runs high.

But this year, there’s something else in the mix: the sitting Kurdish Parliament is two years beyond its maximum term, rendered functionally illegitimate.

 

In a year of watershed elections across the Middle East, the one set to take place in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on October 20 is nothing less. The semi-autonomous region in Iraq with its own constitution, parliament and capital city.

 

Its parliament has long been dominated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). This year, its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) is trying to make a comeback.

 

Voters are expected to head to the polls as economic worries run high and minority groups have lost their quota seats.

 

For many Kurds, these elections feel like more of the same. But could this year be different?

In this episode of Year of Elections, Yasmeen Altaji hears from politicians and experts to answer the questions: what happened and what comes next?