In a significant development, the Iraqi government has approved the allocation of nearly 70 billion dinars (approximately $45 million) to fund the federal electoral commission overseeing the Kurdistan Region's upcoming parliamentary elections slated for February 25, 2024.

The decision was made during the weekly meeting of Iraq's Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The allocated funds include 43.7 billion dinars from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) budget and an additional 25.5 billion dinars from the emergency reserve within the Kurdistan Region’s federal budget.

Originally scheduled for October 2022, the parliamentary elections were postponed to November of the same year due to disagreements among political parties over the election law. Subsequently, an Iraqi court ruled against the self-extension of the Kurdistan parliament, leading to a further delay to February 2024, with supervision now under the Iraqi electoral commission.

Al-Hassan Qabas, a member of the IHEC’s media team, stated that preparations for the Kurdish region's election had been underway for nearly two months. The initial phase involved registering voters, updating voter lists, and finalizing instructions for political parties' representatives, as well as local and international observers and media outlets.

Despite the delays and uncertainties surrounding the election timeline, Qabas assured that the commission's plans remained intact and that unexpected developments would not impede the electoral process.

Darbaz Kosrat Rasul, a politburo member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), informed journalists last week that the elections were expected to take place before June.

Emphasizing the significance of the allocated funds, Dawood Salman, IHEC head of procedures, highlighted that the 70 billion dinars were essential for their operations. He cautioned that any delays in the funding could potentially disrupt the electoral commission's agenda and schedule.

As the preparations intensify, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are navigating a crucial juncture, working towards conducting transparent and credible parliamentary elections in the coming months.