ASIA/IRAQ - Abolition of the quota of seats reserved for minorities in the Autonomous region of Kurdistan. Christian parties appeal to President Abdul Latif Rashid

Thursday, 14 March 2024 middle east oriental churches religious minorities ethnic minorities politics

IRAQ

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Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) - Minority parties and organizations that demand political representation of Christian communities in Iraq continue their mobilization against the decision of the Iraqi Supreme Federal Court to annul the quota of seats reserved for deputies belonging to ethno-religious communities minority in the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan. In this context, a delegation of political representatives and activists belonging to the indigenous Christian communities (Chaldeans, Syrians and Assyrians) was received on Tuesday, March 12 in Baghdad by Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid (see photo).
During the meeting, which took place at the Al Salam Presidential Palace - official sources from the Iraqi Presidency report - the Head of State recognized the importance of indigenous Christian communities as "an integral part of the interdependent diversity of the country's multicultural identity". The delegation of Christian politicians was led by Yaqoub Korkis Yaqu, Secretary General of the Assyrian Democratic Movement, and Romeo Hakkari, of the “Bet-Nahrain” Democratic Party.
The ruling of the Supreme Court the core of the complaints of political acronyms animated by Christian representatives, abolished the quota of 11 parliamentary seats reserved for minority ethnic and religious communities in the Parliament of the Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan, where parliamentary elections should be held on June 10. According to Christian politicians, this provision is detrimental to the political rights of minority faith communities guaranteed by the Constitution. On Monday, March 11, leaders of other political groups represented by Jinan Jabbar, of the Chaldean National Party, had announced their intention to boycott the elections scheduled in the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan as a sign of protest against the controversial ruling of the Federal Supreme Court. On Saturday, March 9, in an interview with the Kurdish multimedia newspaper Rudaw, Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, also declared that the provision to eliminate seats reserved for ethnic and religious minority groups is "unconstitutional", and expressed concern about interference and pressures that affect the decision-making processes of the Supreme Court. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 14/3/2024)