The Iraqi census marks a pivotal moment, influencing parliamentary seats, regional governance, and unresolved issues like Article 140’s implementation
The Iraq census was significant, and the Kurdistan Regional Government officials stressed: “This census is important because the Kurds must have their rightful share, and its impact will be on the rights of the people in Baghdad, serving as the basis for resolving some of the issues including Article 140 of the Constitution that remain unresolved.”
The census in Iraq and Kurdistan was conducted on November 20th and 21st of this year. Nazeem Herki, the Head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Shingal (Sinjar), stated to The Kurdish Globe: “We have informed all security agencies, people, and the centers in Shingal that they are ready for the day of the census. This census is very important for the region, and its success and positive impact were created because it will serve as a key for national unity, and it will lay the foundation for the future of the census or implementation of Article 140.”
In addition, Shwan Kalari, a member of the Iraqi Parliament, told The Kurdish Globe: “The census aims to create a fundamental change in Iraq, one that is linked to the foundation of the government and the parliament, which was established based on the number of residents. In the case of Iraq’s parliament, for every 100,000 votes, one seat is assigned, so this change will occur if there is a resolution; otherwise, the number of seats in Iraq will increase as the population increases, and the census will have no legal effect on any Iraqi citizen’s rights, as the census aims for developmental purposes.”
Regarding the concerns of the census in the areas outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region, specifically the areas mentioned in Article 140, it was noted that this process had been delayed for 20 years. It was explained that, so far, Iraq’s Constitution has not implemented Article 140 concerning the disputed areas, and it remains a pending issue.
In response to a question specifically regarding concerns about the removal of ethnicity fields from the census form in the Kurdistan Region, particularly in areas covered by Article 140, it was stated: “This issue can be attributed to the absence of census data. The ethnicity question has been a point of contention and had implications on the implementation of the 2010 census process, which has not been conducted since that time.”
It was also pointed out that nearly five years ago, to complete the census and reduce concerns between the Federal Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the citizens’ national issues, an agreement was reached concerning the census form to ensure no national labeling or address on it.
It was mentioned that it would have been better to ask about national identity if the country had been stable. Unfortunately, Iraq is still an unstable country, and for the census to succeed, it required an agreement on the national identity issue.
Similarly, Dilshad Hasari, head of the Kirkuk branch of the Kurdistan Communist Party, stated regarding the census: “If discussions about the census focus on areas outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region, we, as part of the political and Communist Party spectrum, believe that due to the situation in Iraq and the region, the census implementation speeded up.”
He further stated: “We have a constitutional article, which is Article 140. The provisions of Article 140 should have been implemented, followed by conducting the census in areas outside the administration of the Kurdistan Region. However, the Iraqi government failed to implement it. Now, Iraq is moving forward with the census while still holding onto the Kurdish areas outside the Region’s administration.”
It was also said: “We believe that, with the decision made and the census being held, a large portion of the Kurdish population participated, and we hope that the outcome will be positive.”
It was mentioned, “A few days ago, we met with political parties, and with the preparation of Dr. Shakhawan and Fahmi Burhan, the head of the Kurdistan Region’s administration for the areas outside the Region, and along with the responsibilities of the general statistics office, we will meet with several political factions, ensuring that we address the issues, which are a concern for a large portion of the Arab population in these areas, as they are in the registration process.”
He further stated, “There should be an agreement between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to resolve these issues, and it should be handled in the third stage. This is a positive step for now.”
The Kurdish Globe