After extensive delays, Iraqi Kurdistan is slated to hold regional parliamentary elections on Feb. 25 next year. The vote, already postponed twice, threatens to deepen political divisions in the Kurdistan region. Uncertainty around government formation will likely follow polling day. This will bring risks of further fragmentation and may further diminish Kurdish autonomy.  

The delays to the vote stem from disagreements between the two main Kurdish political parties—the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)—over the law governing regional elections. The polls were originally scheduled to be held in Oct. 2022 but were rescheduled for Nov. 2023 before being delayed until early next year. The PUK has argued that the current setup...