Parliament to decide fate of IHEC board

Parliament is set to convene on Sunday in a critical session to determine the future of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) board members, whose term is due to expire on January 7.

Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani has called this extraordinary meeting to decide whether to extend the board's term, with a proposed one-year extension under consideration. While some factions may prefer appointing a new board, this would involve a lengthy process unlikely to gain traction, particularly after the relatively smooth provincial council elections in 2023 and the Kurdistan Parliament election last year.

The question of extending IHEC’s term is just the precursor to a much larger debate about the electoral system itself. Parliamentary elections, expected in October this year, hinge on decisions about the electoral law. In a recent television interview, Mashhadani hinted that elections might be delayed if parliament fails to agree on which system to adopt. However, this suggestion was swiftly dismissed by members of the Coordination Framework, who maintain that elections will proceed as planned.