ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday addressed a rally in Zakho, outlining the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) plans to enhance democracy in Iraq and defend the constitutional rights of all its components. He stressed that Zakho would soon enjoy the benefits of the Region's 24-hour electricity project.

The premier, who is also deputy president of the ruling KDP, noted that the party “believes in federalism and democracy, and no party should violate Kurdistan's constitutional rights,” he said during the rally for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

He stressed, “This election is important; we will protect the rights of the people of Kurdistan and Iraq.”

“No force in the Kurdistan Region has better developed the Kurdistan Region than the KDP,” Barzani asserted.

He highlighted the importance of the Iraqi parliamentary elections, urging people to go to the ballot boxes and “prove that the KDP is the largest party in Kurdistan.”

Campaigning for the federal parliamentary elections began on October 10, with over 7,750 candidates competing for the 329 seats allocated across the provinces under a proportional representation system. Iraqi citizens are set to cast their ballots on November 11.

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

The premier also noted the KDP’s role in defending democracy, announcing, “We are always ready to be on the defense fronts.”

Barzani further announced that the Zakho city center would have 24-hour electricity by the end of October.  

According to the most recent update in late August, almost 4 million of the Region's citizens now reap the benefits of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Runaki Project, which seeks to provide round-the-clock power to the entire Kurdistan Region by 2026.