Judiciary partially reinstates minority quota for KRG elections

The judiciary’s decision to grant quota seats to minorities in the Kurdistan Region parliament means that Iraq’s political elite have found a compromise solution that will pave the way for the KRG to hold elections within a few months.

The Electoral Judicial Commission ruled on Monday that 5 out of the 100 Kurdistan Region parliament seats need to be reserved for minorities. The commission is attached to the Supreme Judicial Council and adjudicates matters related to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), including ratifying election results.

The Electoral Judicial Commission’s ruling essentially overturned an IHEC decision to enforce the Supreme Court's February ruling that nullified the allocation of minority seats. A lawsuit filed by the Christian party, Beyt Nahrain Patriotic Union, claimed that the lack of minority seats undermined constitutional provisions protecting minority representation. The Electoral Judicial Commission affirmed this constitutional principle by requiring 5 seats to be reserved for minorities.