Iraqi President: Upcoming Elections Are Important and Critical

Iraqi President Barham Salih with Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), Raid Fahmi (Iraqi Presidency)
Iraqi President Barham Salih with Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), Raid Fahmi (Iraqi Presidency)
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Iraqi President: Upcoming Elections Are Important and Critical

Iraqi President Barham Salih with Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), Raid Fahmi (Iraqi Presidency)
Iraqi President Barham Salih with Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), Raid Fahmi (Iraqi Presidency)

Iraqi President Barham Salih asserted the importance of the upcoming elections, saying they are critical and important, amid calls for boycotting the polls scheduled for October over a wave of assassinations targeting activists.

Salih aims to reduce tension to ensure the success of the elections, as the only way to achieve stability and prosperity, and launch the reconstruction and development process, a presidential source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

On Wednesday, the president discussed with Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi the importance of improving security bodies to enforce the law and achieve stability and peace in the country.

The two leaders also agreed that during the elections, certain measures should be taken to ensure voters are free to choose their own representatives without suspicion of fraud, manipulation, or pressure.

The president also met with the Secretary of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP), Raid Fahmi, and discussed with him the latest developments.

He stated that the upcoming election is “important and critical” and the only way to implement reforms, and build a strong, capable, and sovereign state as well as finding a solution to illegitimate weapons.

The president rejected the assassinations and intimidation of protestors, activists, and journalists.

Salih emphasized that within his powers, he works to ensure that the country's next election will be fair and free, urging all state institutions, political parties, and civil society to cooperate for the success of the polls.

Electoral fraud or manipulation can have a negative effect on everyone, so the free will of the Iraqis should prevail to determine and to shape the future of the people, he indicated.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.