KDP Rejects Iraq Presidential Election Process, Refuses to Recognize Outcome

ARK News.. The Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party announced on Saturday, April 11, 2026, its rejection of the mechanism used to elect the President of Iraq in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, describing the procedures as outside established legal frameworks.

In an official statement, the party said the parliamentary session was conducted in violation of the Council’s approved internal regulations, noting that the agenda had been set without adherence to proper procedures, constituting what it called a breach of the law.

The statement further argued that the nominated candidate for the presidency did not emerge from the agreed Kurdish mechanism, stressing that the position is a national entitlement of the Kurdish people—not of a single party. It added that the candidate was put forward by a specific party and approved by other Iraqi political blocs.

“Accordingly, we reject this election mechanism and do not consider any individual selected through it to represent the Kurdish majority. We will not engage with him,” the statement said.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party also confirmed that its parliamentary bloc boycotted the session and that its candidate’s name should have been withdrawn from the process following the boycott.

It added that, in order to assess the situation and conduct consultations, members of the party’s bloc in both the Iraqi parliament and the federal government will return to Kurdistan Region.

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