Islamic Komal to boycott Iraqi Kurdistan parliament over fraud

Islamic Komal to boycott Iraqi Kurdistan parliament over alleged election fraud — Ali Bapir, the leader of the Islamic Kurdistan Justice Group (KJG) formerly Kurdish Islamic Group KIG (Komal), Sulaimani , Iraqi Kurdistan, October 26, 2024. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw TV

SULAIMANI, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— Ali Bapir, leader of the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal)—formerly known as the Kurdish Islamic Group (KIG)—announced Saturday that his party would not be participating in the Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament, citing substantial concerns over alleged election manipulation.

“After confirming beyond any doubt, we are certain—as are likely other parties, especially those that abstained—that this election process was fabricated and manipulated extensively,” Bapir declared in a press conference.

He suggested that the alleged rigging originated from outside the Kurdistan region but did not point to any specific source.

Iraqi Kurdistan conducted its long-awaited parliamentary elections on October 20, 2024. Preliminary results indicated a sweeping victory for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which secured nearly twice the votes of the runner-up, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Komal, which obtained 67,410 votes, had been awarded three seats in the new parliament based on these early results.

Despite the allocation, Bapir firmly rejected the outcome, stating Komal would not accept the seats “assigned” to them.

“This stance goes beyond defending the will and freedom of the Kurdistan region’s people; it serves as a clear message to the region’s leaders: interfering with the people’s votes and altering their intent will have consequences. Therefore, we cannot take part in a parliament we view as fundamentally compromised by widespread manipulation,” he stated.

Komal’s position mirrors sentiments from other parties, several of whom have voiced concerns of electoral fraud.

The Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), People’s Front (Baray Gel), and National Stance Movement (Halwest) have each pledged to present evidence of voting irregularities. Among these, Komal is the first to formally refuse its seats in the new assembly.

KIU, meanwhile, announced on Saturday that while it would assume its seats in parliament, it would position itself in opposition and would not join the government coalition.

Halwest leader Ali Hama Saleh voiced similar criticisms on Tuesday, claiming that the election was manipulated to favor three main parties, rejecting the results outright.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), which managed the election, responded by refuting claims of irregularities. Spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai stated that the commission found no evidence of misconduct in vote counting, describing allegations of fraud and tampering as “entirely unfounded.”

On election day, however, more than 120 complaints were registered, including reports of campaign materials near polling sites and some voters taking phones into booths in violation of election rules, sparking concerns of potential voter influence.

In the days leading up to the vote, Bapir, who has three official wives, had emphasized Komal’s vision for governance based on Islamic values, a perspective grounded in the party’s roots.

During a campaign speech, Bapir stated, “As Muslim people, our systems—governance, economy, society, morals, education, and science—must derive their foundations from the Quran and Sunnah.”

This stance, however, has faced criticism. Political analyst Henase Karim cautioned that the influence of religiously affiliated parties in Kurdistan could hinder regional progress, expressing concerns that such parties seek to revert societal norms to an outdated era.

“These Islamic factions pose a risk to the advancement of Iraqi Kurdistan; they aspire to reinstate a lifestyle reflective of their interpretations of Islamic traditions, diminishing the rights of women and imposing restrictive values,” Karim stated.

She suggested that Kurdistan should consider prohibiting parties that seek to base governance on religious principles, adding, “Better a dictator than an Islamic regime.”

In 2023, Bapir publicly expressed his support for Islamic Hamas following a violent attack by Gazan militants on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israeli civilians. This attack was reminiscent of tactics used by Islamic State ISIS. Hamas has been classified as a terrorist organization by several nations, including the United States, Canada, Egypt, the European Union, Japan, and Israel.

As allegations of election fraud stir tensions in Kurdistan, the outcome has sparked broader debates about the future direction of governance in the region.

(With files from Rudaw | Agencies)