2018 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections took place in Kurdistan Region on 30 September 2018 to elect Parliament.^[1] The election came a year after a failed bid for independence and left the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with 45 seats, that positioning it to lead the next regional government. Announcement of the results was delayed for three weeks. The KDP's historic rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was in second place with 21 seats.^[2] The results suggest that Masoud Barzani’s KDP will take a dominant position in Kurdish politics.

Kurdistan Region parliamentary election, 2018

← 2013 30 September 2018 2024 →
Total of 111 seats of the Kurdistan National Assembly 56 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	51.4%
First party Second party   Leader Nechirvan Barzani Kosrat Rasul Ali Party KDP PUK Last election 38 18 Seats won 45 21 Seat change 7 3 Popular vote 688,070 319,219 Percentage 44.1% 20.5%
Prime Minister before election Nechirvan Barzani KDP Elected Prime Minister Masrour Barzani KDP

  Kurdistan Democratic Party: 45 seats

  Patriotic Union of Kurdistan: 21 seats

  Movement for Change: 12 seats

  New Generation Movement: 8 seats

  Kurdistan Islamic Group: 7 seats

  Kurdistan Islamic Union: 5 seats

  Sardam alliance: 1 seat

  Freedom List: 1 seat

  Minorities: 11 seats

Background

Poster for the elections of the Parliament of the Iraqi Kurdistan general election, 2018

Following the end of the Gulf War in 1991, a civil war, mainly between the Erbil and Dohuk-based Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Sulaymaniyah-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led to the establishment of two separate Kurdish regional governments. Following the reconciliation and a power-sharing agreement between KDP and PUK, and Parliamentary elections in 2005, a unified Kurdistan Regional Government was created. The joint KDP–PUK faction Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan assumed power and formed a government that was headed by Nechervan Barzani (KDP; 2006–09) and Barham Salih (PUK; 2009–12).

When former PUK official Nawshirwan Mustafa broke away to form the new Movement for Change (Gorran) party, the new party primarily hurt PUK's electoral support in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The KDP–PUK alliance, now renamed Kurdistan List, formed a new government headed by Nechervan Barzani.

Presidential elections were due to coincide with parliamentary elections in 2013. However, in the months leading to the elections the parliament extended Massoud Barzani’s term for another two years.^[3] When the parliamentary elections were held, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) ran on separate lists for the first time since 1992. With its traditionally strong backing in Dohuk and Erbil provinces, the KDP managed to expand its plurality, while falling short of an outright majority. PUK suffered from internal conflicts during the absence of its leader Jalal Talabani, who was recovering from a stroke, and from strong competition by the Movement for Change (Gorran), which established itself as the strongest party in Sulaymaniyah, previously a major stronghold of PUK.^[4]

The provincial elections were delayed until November, and then again to 2014, when they were held in conjunction with the Iraqi parliamentary election.

In 2015, as Barzani's term was due to expire, debates continued as to whether it should be extended further, with supporters citing the Kurdish fight against ISIS and the need for stability in the Kurdish regional government. Others have expressed concern that a continued extension of Barzani's term could lead to a President for Life scenario.^[5] Both Kurdish politicians and observers in the area worry that the polarizing debate over the presidency will destabilize Kurdish democracy and weaken the region in its fight against the Islamic State.^[6] In July 2016, Barzani announced that he would not seek another term as president.^[7] The Kurdistan Region Parliament on 24 October 2017 announced that the elections for the presidency and the parliament had been delayed by eight months. The decision was made after the electoral commission stated that the political parties had failed to register their candidates amidst the regional crisis.^[8]

Parties participating in election

21 parties registered for Kurdistan's parliamentary elections:^[9]

1. Coalition for Democracy and Justice (Barham Salih)
2. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
3. Turkmen Development Party
4. Turkmen Democratic Movement in Kurdistan
5. Change Movement (Gorran)
6. Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU)
7. Assyrian Democratic Movement (Zowaa)
8. Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party
9. Individual Armenian Political Entity (Aram Birzo Hamo)
10. Individual Armenian Political Entity (Obar Sipan Gharib)
11. Turkmen Reform Party
12. Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal)
13. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
14. Yezidi Democratic Party
15. Kurdistan Toilers' Party
16. Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party
17. Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council
18. Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq
19. New Generation Movement
20. Conservative Party of Kurdistan
21. Toilers Party of Kurdistan

Electoral system

The 111 members of the Kurdistan National Assembly were elected by open list proportional representation in a single constituency. Five seats were reserved for the Christian Assyrian minority, five for Turkmen, and one for Armenians. Furthermore, 30% of the members must be women.

Notable participating entities

List No		Party	Kurdish name	Party leaders
	105	Patriotic Union of Kurdistan	یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان Yekêtiy Nîştimaniy Kurdistan	Kosrat Rasul Ali
	119	Towards Reform	بەرەو ئیسڵاح Hevpeymaniya Ber bi Îslah	Kurdistan Islamic Union & Kurdistan Islamic Movement
	127	Sardam Alliance	سەردەم Hevpeymaniya Serdem	Mohammad Hajji Mahmoud
	134	New Generation Movement	جوڵانەوەی نەوەی نوێ Culanewey Newey Nwê	Shaswar Abdulwahid Qadir
	148	Movement for Change	گۆڕان Bizûtinewey Gorran	Omar Said Ali
	156	Kurdistan Conservative Party	پارتی پارێزگارانی کوردستان Partî Parêzgaranî Kurdistan	Zaid Surchi
	164	Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq (Freedom List)	ئازادی Partî Azadî	Kamal Shakir
	183	Kurdistan Democratic Party	پارتی دیموکراتی کوردستان Partî Dîmukratî Kurdistan	Massoud Barzani
	194	Kurdistan Islamic Group	کۆمەڵی ئیسلامی کوردستان-عێراق Komelley Îslamiy Kurdistaê / Îraq	Ali Bapir

Results

A ballot paper for the Iraqi Kurdistan Region

Results[10][11]
Political party	2018			2013	Change
	Votes	%	Seats	Seats	Seats +/−
Kurdistan Democratic Party	688,070	44.1%	45	38	7
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan	319,219	20.5%	21	18	3
Gorran Movement	186,903	12%	12	24	12
New Generation Movement	127,115	8.2%	8	New	8
Kurdistan Justice Party	109,494	7%	7	6	1
Kurdistan Islamic Union	79,912	5.1%	5	11	6
Sardam alliance (coalition consisting of Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, Democratic National Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Toilers' Party)	15,581	1%	1	2	1
Freedom List (Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq)	8,063	0.5%	1	1
Total	1,559,021		100	100
Turkmen minority reserved seats
Turkmen Development List (Turkmen Reform List)	3,318	28.9%	2	2
Turkmen Reform Party	3,125	27.2%	1	0	1
Turkmen/Iraqi Turkmen Front	1,545	13.5%	1	1
Nation List	885	7.7%	1
Biz Turkmen (Yelderem)	846	7.4%	0
Erbil Turkmen Coalition	760	6.6%	0
Erbil Turkmen List	695	6.1%	0
Turkmen Democratic Movement	298	2.6%	0	3
Total	11,472		5	5
Assyrian minority reserved seats
National Union Coalition	8,088	57.7%	3	New	3
Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council	2,963	21.1%	1	2	1
Assyrian Democratic Movement/Rafidain List	2,626	18.7%	1	2	1
Democratic Christian List	238	1.7%	0	New
Sons of Mesopotamia (Abna al Nahrain List)	108	0.8%	0	1	1
Total	14,023		5	5
Armenian minority reserved seat
Fahik Kamal Saranyan	590	20%	1
Berunt Nissan Markos	590	20%	0	1
Aram Bozo Hamo	611	20.7%	0
Adkar Hakob	439	14.9%	0
Morad Mardros Wartan	425	14.4%	0
Nobar Sypar Qarib	290	9.8%	0
Total	2,945		1	1
Overall total (Counted/Valid votes)	1,587,461	100%	111	111
Registered voters/turnout
3,085,461[12]					51.4%