The Iraqi Kurdistan Region is preparing to hold a new round of elections in the upcoming summer amid demands to extend the presidential term by another year or two. In recent days, prominent leaders in the main two parties — the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by the region’s Prime Minister Massoud Barzani, and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) — have visited opposition parties to discuss the readiness of the region to hold presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections.
The opposition announced that the main focus of the visits was to reach unanimity over extending the presidential term for a year or two.