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Opinions & Interviews -> Early elections deepens crises says Kurdish MP
01/01/2012 14:54
 

ERBIL, Jan.1 (AKnews) - A Kurdish member of the Iraqi House of Representatives warned that disbanding the current House and holding early elections will only deepen the existing crises.

 

Iraqi Parliament, Parlamani IraqSo far three leaders, Massoud Barzani, Kurdistan regional president, Baha al-Aaraji, Ahrar Bloc's leader and Ayad Allawi, who leads Iraqiya List, have officially supported early elections as a measure to end the enduing disputes among the political blocs.

 

Speaking to AKnews today, Shler Aziz, a member of the Kurdistan Blocs Coalition, said that early elections will lead to no new results "because the issues do not source from the House of Representatives but from the disputes between the political blocs."

 

"Dissolving the house will worsen the situation because it is unlikely for the public to participate in the voting this time, after they have realized that the political blocs have done nothing except following their own personal interests."

 

In a previous report by AKnews, some other KBC deputies backed early elections on some condition while another Kurdish deputy thought the elections are to no avail.

  

Latif Mustafa, from Gorran [Change] Movement, told AKnews disbanding the current parliament is "constitutionally difficult as it requires the Prime Minister to address the issue."

The demand is subject to the approval of Iraqi President and then the majority of lawmakers, not less than 163, "and this is difficult unless there is an agreement between the major blocs."

"I believe that the results of the elections will not be much different to now because even now the major components are Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis," Mustafa said.

He believes a strong sectarian inclination makes unlikely for voters to cross their ethno-sectarian lines and vote for another group, for example a Kurd vote for a Sunni or Sunni vote for a Shiite.

"If they intend to form a majority government it will be a dictatorial majority government because it is not feasible for any of these three major Iraqi components to be sidelined in the process and the public will not accept this. If they hope to change the results, the results won't change."

Shuwan Mohammed Taha, from the Kurdistan Democratic Party at KBC, told AKnews: "Only if we fail to resolve the current political crisis in Iraq would we back early elections."

Fatih Daraghayee, from Kurdistan Islamic Group at the Kurdish Coalition, told AKnews that his party supports "peaceful solutions" to the crisis, "solutions which prevent a recurrence."

"But if the efforts for peaceful solutions fail, then we support early elections, provided that the current election law is amended."

He believes that, due to the current law, Kurds and especially small factions have sustained "great loss and become victims."

When calling for early elections on Monday Ahrar bloc leader Baha al-Aaraj also demanded that six months time be given so that election legislation be amended and in the second half new members be elected for Independent High Electoral Commission.

A member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union at the Kurdistan Coalition, Osama Jamil, told AKnews: "If the elections are for solving the crisis, we support the process."

However, he believes early elections will not be the solution.

 

By Rebin Hasan