Nechirvan Barzani, the First Deputy Leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), made a direct appeal to voters in the Kurdistan Region’s Sulaimani province on Sunday, urging them to support his party in the upcoming Iraqi legislative elections and help it achieve an ambitious target of one million votes.

Traditionally a stronghold of the rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Sulaimani was the stage for Barzani’s rally, where he emphasized the KDP's record on development and governance as a reason for its growing popularity in the area.

“The KDP responds [to people’s support] with services and development. That is why I see the KDP becoming more and more popular in Sulaimani,” Barzani, who also serves as the President of the Kurdistan Region, told the crowd. He called on “the people of Sulaimani to give the KDP a chance to show how prosperity and welfare can increase in this area.”

The KDP, which won 31 seats in the 2021 federal elections, is fielding its largest-ever list of 175 candidates across Iraq in the November 11 vote. The party officially launched its campaign in mid-October under the slogan “Partnership, Balance, and Agreement.”

Barzani highlighted major development plans for Sulaimani and neighboring Halabja province, expressing regret that the "shortcomings in this area are a source of great grief" for his party. He pointed to recent KRG initiatives, such as the Runaki 24-hour electricity program, which now serves over 1.3 million people in Sulaimani, and promised that water infrastructure projects from Erbil would be extended to the province.

In a significant note, Barzani also cited his role in facilitating the recent reopening of Sulaimani International Airport after a two-and-a-half-year flight ban imposed by Turkey was lifted in early October. “When the skies of Sulaimani have few flights, the flights of Kurdistan diminish,” he said.

Beyond the Kurdistan Region's administrative boundaries, Barzani also called on voters in Iraq's disputed territories, including the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, to participate in large numbers. These areas were subject to systematic Arabization policies under the former Baath regime.

Stressing the need for full implementation of Iraq's federal constitution, Barzani stated, “There is a federal constitution in Iraq, but the authority and administration remain centralized, not federal.” He affirmed that voting is a "national duty" and that stronger Kurdish representation in Baghdad is contingent on high voter turnout.

The issue of Baghdad's adherence to constitutional obligations, particularly the unimplemented Article 140 which outlines a process to resolve the status of the disputed territories, has been a central theme in the campaigns of both the KDP and PUK.

The rival PUK is also campaigning outside its traditional base, with leader Bafel Talabani holding a rally in the KDP-dominated city of Erbil on Saturday, signaling intensified competition.

The November 11 ballot will be Iraq's sixth parliamentary election since 2003. According to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), approximately 21.4 million eligible voters have renewed their biometric cards. A total of 7,700 candidates will compete for 329 parliamentary seats across 31 alliances, 38 parties, and numerous independent and minority quota candidates.