Nechirvan Barzani calls for accelerating the formation of a strong government in the Kurdistan Region

ARK News.. The President of the Kurdistan Region, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, called on the political parties in the Kurdistan Region to accelerate the formation of a strong government, and praised the efforts made by all institutions to make the electoral process a success.

Speaking at the Middle East Forum "Meri" held in Erbil, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, said that the elections in the Kurdistan Region "are important because they constitute the source of legitimacy for the authorities in Kurdistan."

The President of the Kurdistan Region stressed that "the people of Kurdistan and Iraq are the biggest winners in these elections."

Nechirvan Barzani added that the "democracy project" in the Kurdistan Region "is constantly developing despite some shortcomings, and the people of Kurdistan have proven that they deserve to obtain more gains."

Nechirvan Barzani spoke about the post-election phase, saying: "We held the elections, and we cannot remain in this electoral atmosphere, but it is time to hold talks and work on forming a strong government."

Nechirvan Barzani considered that the turnout represents "a message that the voters have trusted us, which means that we must live up to that trust, and the political parties must realize that."

The President of the Kurdistan Region explained that no party can form a government alone, so the parties must cooperate to form a coalition government.

Considering the Kurdistan Region a legal political entity within the federal state of Iraq, he stressed that these elections are the most important since 1991, noting that "the current time is the most appropriate to solve our problems, including the pending issues with Baghdad, but first we must organize ourselves from within and form a strong government."

Nechirvan Barzani criticized the way the federal government deals with the region, considering that it acts as a central government, not a federal one.

Nechirvan Barzani noted that these elections laid a suitable foundation for dealing with the federal government and resolving all problems, such as budget issues, Article 140, and other pending issues.

The President of the Kurdistan Region explained that "there is a difference in visions between Erbil and Baghdad, as the region believes that Baghdad is imposing its centralization and reducing the region's privileges and powers, while Baghdad believes that what the Kurdistan Region has obtained goes beyond federalism and has great privileges. Therefore, a solution must be found that brings the two parties' visions closer together."

He pointed out that the election phase has ended, saying: "The relationship between political parties and factions is not enmity, but competition, and it is time to start forming a strong government as soon as possible."

Nechirvan Barzani explained that "oil is not a political issue, but an economic one, as Turkey allowed us to send our oil through its territory, and Turkey was not the beneficiary of this step, while Iraq is the most affected by the halt in the Kurdistan Region's oil exports."

He revealed that the damage inflicted on Iraq from the halt in Kurdistan oil exports exceeded $15 billion, calling on Baghdad to think "rationally and economically" about the damage and benefit, and to decide that the most correct solution is to return the oil to the export pipelines.

101