Elections will be crucial for Iraq's Kurdistan to hit the reset button

The Abbasid Bridge in the city of Zakho in Iraq's Kurdistan region last month. AFP

When I recalled an instance of kindness shown to me by the late Jalal Talabani, his son Bafel Talabani softened a little at the mention of the former Iraqi president. I had assistance from the elder Talabani’s representative in Tehran during Saddam Hussein’s time in power and wanted to specifically cite that help.

Bafel Talabani is now head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, a political party founded by his father. In this capacity, he is anxious to see the Kurdistan Regional Government join the year of elections.

Polls for the KRG parliament have been announced for October 20, and the Iraqi Independent High Election Commission has said that it is willing to administer the voting for the just under four million eligible voters. It is a development that has been pushed back from 2022, and in an era where a delayed poll is often a pathway to no poll, it is subject to some degree of nervousness.

Mr Talabani, as standard bearer of one of the two main forces in the Kurdistan region (the other being the Kurdistan Democratic Party), wants to show that the election could be a force for stability. In an interview in London last week, he talked about how it represents an important opportunity to unlock the potential of a young and educated population, as well as the abundant natural gas and other resources of the area.

Looking at the progress witnessed in the UAE, he spoke about how the aspiration of many youth in the Kurdistan region is to prosper along a similar track.

“I think you look at the people in the UAE and see the quality of life, the standard of living, the contentment, the security. I think this is something that we would like very much to emulate in our region,” Mr Talabani said. “Now I’d like to see a lot of investment from the UAE; I’d like to see a lot of business and trade, cultural exchange with the UAE as well as security co-ordination.”

Bafel Talabani, president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, photographed in London during an interview with The National. Photo: PUK handout

The outcome Talabani wants to see is a regional coalition that understands the very idea of coalition

Mr Talabani told me about a young and educated population 70 per cent of which are under the age of 40, the majority of which speak at least two languages, and are computer literate and well educated. “I think that this is our resource, and I would like to see tech centres, I’d like to see modern call centres, not the old-style sweatshops,” he said.

“There are so many different opportunities that people could look into where a young, educated, intelligent population is sitting there crying out for the private sector. I think this is an area that needs to be developed in Kurdistan as a whole.”

Mr Talabani said he was confident that his movement can meet the hunger for change that has surfaced in recent years and provide a different pace for the administration of the region. The outcome he wants to see is a regional coalition that understands the very idea of coalition.

Over the years, the current government appears to have lost some of its focus. Mr Talabani told me this situation needs to change.

“I think the Kurdistan region, regardless of the political differences between the political parties, is safe and that political groups believe in the Kurdistan region,” he added. “Everyone is willing to make the appropriate sacrifices to ensure the survival of the region, which is protected under the Iraqi Constitution.”

With a history of sometimes-wavering engagement from western states, including from London where Mr Talabani is meeting high-level figures from all sides of the political spectrum, he has words of encouragement for the new government of Keir Starmer.

A Syrian Democratic Forces fighter stands guard where family members of suspected ISIS members wait to be transferred from Al Hol camp in Hasakeh province, Syria, in May. AP

It has made the issue of migration at source one of its main policy areas – an issue that Mr Talabani sees the Kurdistan regional authorities as being engaged on. The solution, in his eyes, comes down to people having enough hope at home, rather than risking it all for a potentially perilous journey in search of “nirvana that frankly doesn’t exist anymore”.

With Iraq’s challenging neighbourhood having been swept by increasing tensions, Mr Talabani is certain that the situation with Turkey, as with Iran, can only work out well with diplomacy, and he calls for decision for that to happen. Trust, dialogue, understanding and ultimately negotiations are the best building blocks that need to be put in place.

Where he sees a disaster looming is just across the border in Syria, where pressure on the de facto Kurdish authorities could one day trigger the escape of thousands of ISIS prisoners. The fallout from that would reverberate not only in the Iraq’s Kurdistan region but far more widely.

“These camps are hard to control at the best of times; it would not take much for these camps to become out of control,” he warned. “If the hardcore escape these camps, they would head immediately to Kurdistan, Iraq and Europe. This is something that people should not be taking their eyes off.”

There is little doubt that the region has been through great turmoil in recent years. But while the many dangers should remain in focus with all sides of the upcoming campaign, so should the opportunities. A Kurdistan region with an open economy and vibrant growth can truly contribute to the stability and prosperity of the whole region.