Iraq’s KDP backs ban on PKK/YPG-linked parties
Iraq's former Foreign Minister Hoshyar Mahmud Zebari tells CNN how he thinks the Arab Summit may help boost Iraq's political and economic influence.
(Photo via Getty Images)
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) senior official and former Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has endorsed the recent judicial decision to ban three parties linked to the PKK/YPG.
Zebari praised the move as a necessary step to maintain stability in the region.
Judicial decision, rationale
The Iraqi judiciary recently ruled to ban the activities of three parties – Yazidis Democratic and Freedom Party, Democratic Struggle Front Party and Tevgera Azadi – citing their connections to the PKK/YPG.
The decision also includes the confiscation of their assets. This action aims to prevent these groups from participating in the upcoming Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) elections.
Zebari took to X, a social media platform, to voice his support for the ban. He referred to the PKK-linked groups as “cancerous cells” within the region and Iraq as a whole, asserting that these groups thrive on chaos and contribute to instability.
Zebari stated, “The decision of the judicial body of the High Elections Commission to prevent three Kurdish parties that are fronts of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from participating in the elections of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 10/20/2024 is the right thing to do and wise because they have become a cancerous tumor in the body of the region and Iraq as a whole and a factor of chaotic instability.”
The ban is expected to influence the upcoming elections in the Kurdistan Region, scheduled for Oct. 20, 2024. By excluding these parties, the judiciary aims to ensure a more stable and secure electoral process.
