Kurdish Islamic Union decides to sit in opposition, declines role in new Regional Government in Iraq

By Bekir Aydogan

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - The Kurdish Islamic Union (Yekgirtu) party announced on Saturday that it will not join the new Regional Government (KRG) and will remain in opposition.

The party made the announcement in a statement released following a meeting in Erbil chaired by party leader Salahaddin Bahaaddin, citing concerns over election "deficiencies and violations."

The party will not be part of the new government and will remain in opposition, the statement said.

The decision by the Kurdish Islamic Union comes just days after a similar move by the New Generation Movement (NGM), which finished third in recent parliamentary elections.

Yekgirtu's coalition received an estimated 116,981 votes and seven parliamentary seats, a significant improvement over their 2018 performance of 79,434 votes and five seats.

According to unofficial results, the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) holds 39 seats in the 100-seat parliament, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 23, and New Generation with 15.

The previous coalition government included the KDP, Gorran Movement, PUK, and representatives from Turkmen and Christian communities.

*Writing by Yasin Gungor​​​​​​​ in Istanbul