President Nechirvan Barzani met with the Iraqi Independent high Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Erbil on Thursday to discuss the preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

In the meeting, which was attended by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Ms. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the Vice Presidents of the Kurdistan Region, a team of UNAMI experts and the chairman and members of the Board of Commissioners, the President stressed that steps should be taken to hold elections in the Kurdistan Region at the earliest. In this regard, the President expressed the readiness of the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Government, and all relevant parties to hold successful elections.

For her part, Ms. Plasschaert and the UNAMI team expressed their support for the steps taken by President Nechirvan Barzani and expressed their readiness to provide assistance to hold the elections.

Also, the Chairman of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission and the Board of Commissioners thanked the President of the Kurdistan Region for the invitation and the exchange of views, and expressed their readiness to hold the elections in accordance with the law and after providing the requirements and agreement on the election day. In this regard, it was decided to maintain contact in order to determine a date for the general elections.