ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday stressed that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) will defend the Region’s rights in Baghdad and work to properly implement the constitution, ahead of Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections. 

"We must go there [to Baghdad] with our presence, our efforts, and with the KDP's voice in the parliament ... to once again steer everything in the right direction," Barzani, a deputy KDP leader, said during a KDP rally in Erbil.

He called for proper implementation of the Iraqi constitution, stressing that it “should not be abused to favor one side and go against the Kurdistan Region.” 

The KDP on Sunday launched its electoral campaign for Iraq’s parliamentary elections on November 11, coming after a year chock-full of tensions between Erbil and Baghdad due to oil exports and the payment of the Kurdistan Region's civil servant salaries.

“There are no competitors left for the KDP in the Kurdistan Region ... and we need to go to Baghdad to fight for the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani stated, calling the party “a symbol for realizing our people’s dreams.” 

Erbil and Baghdad have been engaged in negotiations for months to address their disagreements over oil exports and domestic revenue.

Salaries of the Kurdistan Region’s civil servants and the Region’s share of the federal budget have long been a point of contention between the federal and regional governments.

Campaigning for the federal parliamentary elections began on Friday, with over 7,750 candidates competing for the 329 seats allocated across the provinces under a proportional representation system.

Iraq’s last parliamentary elections in October 2021 saw a record low turnout amid widespread public frustration.