Written question asked by Nadia Whittome (Labour) on Friday, 2 June 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 7 June 2023 (named day). It was answered by David Rutley (Conservative) on Thursday, 8 June 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Iraq: Elections

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with Kurdish authorities on the scheduling of parliamentary elections in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

Answer: The UK Government supports a democratic Kurdistan Region within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) were due in October 2022, and we continue to press the Kurdistan Regional Government to reschedule these elections to take place as soon as possible. The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon visited Iraq, including the KRI, in March and emphasised to senior figures in the Kurdistan Regional Government the importance the UK places on democracy in the KRI. Our Ambassador in Baghdad and Consul General in Erbil continue to raise this issue in public and private, most recently in meetings with the leaders of political parties, the President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in May.

Secondary information