Five seats will be allocated for minorities in the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council decided on Tuesday.

The decision came in response to a complaint from a Christian party in the Kurdistan Region after a Federal Supreme Court ruling in February removed the 11 seats allocated for minority components in the Regional parliament.

“Iraq's High Judicial Council has allocated five parliamentary seats for minorities in the Kurdistan Region within the 100 seats of the parliament,” spokesperson to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) Jumana al-Ghalayi told The New Region on Tuesday.

Ghalayi added that the five seats will be divided in a way that Erbil and Sulaimani will each receive two seats, one for Christians and another for Turkmen, and the remaining seat will be allocated to the Armenians in Duhok.

#Iraq's High Judicial Council has allocated five parliamentary seats for minorities in the #Kurdistan Region within the 100 seats of the #parliament, #IHEC spokesperson #Jumana al-Ghalayi told reporters.#Sulaimani and #Erbil provinces will receive two seats each, and #Duhok… pic.twitter.com/YrrmnYtgZs

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 21, 2024

The Iraqi parliament on Monday published its schedule for a session set for Wednesday, during which the legislative body is set to vote on an amendment to the electoral commission law.

“The term of the electoral commission will be extended for six months, from July 9 to January 9,” Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) MP Majid Shingali told The New Region on Monday, adding that the parliament has complete authority to extend the commission’s term.

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court earlier this month suspended preparations for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections that were scheduled for June 10.

The decision was in light of an official lawsuit filed by the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, against the President of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq and the distribution of seats across the electoral constituencies.

However, the Federal Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected KRG Prime Minister Barzani’s case, claiming that the matter had been decided through the Supreme Judicial Council’s decision.

#BREAKING: The Federal Supreme Court has rejected a lawsuit filed by #Kurdistan Region PM Masrour #Barzani against the division of seats in the Region's #parliamentary elections#TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/yHB1cXWVbm

— The New Region (@thenewregion) May 21, 2024

Earlier this year, the Electoral Commission issued Law No. 7 of 2024 regarding the registration and approval of candidate lists for the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Article 2 of the law divided the Kurdistan Region into four electoral districts and specified the parliament's seat count at 100 only, nullifying the 11 seats allocated for minority quotas.

This move sparked discontent among several political parties, including the ruling KDP, prompting calls for the decision to be revoked due to its alleged unconstitutionality.

UNAMI Chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Thursday addressed the UN Security Council saying that the Kurdistan Region is in desperate need of inclusive, transparent, and credible elections.

“Inclusive, transparent, and credible Regional elections, capable of producing political finality and certainty, are desperately needed,” she said.