Candidate lists submitted in regional administration in north of Iraq

Countdown for parliamentary elections expected to be held on September 21 in the regional administration in north of Iraq has steered attention to candidates. Political parties announced thier candidates for the 100 seats allocated for Kurds and 11 for the minorities. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Movement for Change (Goran) will participate in the elections with 100 candidates whereas Kurdistan Islamic Movement will have 47 and Islamic Kurdish League will have 76 candidates. Following the announcement of political parties participating independently, the question of who would be presented the first candidate from each party puzzled minds. Jamal Murtka made it into the top of the Kurdistan Democratic Party candidate list. Murtka, a wheel-chaired politician mainly working from home, welcomed Anadolu Agency at his high security villa. Emphasizing that being wheelchair-bound wasn't an obstacle in politics, Murtke said he believed KDP would gain the highest votes in the parliamentary elections. Murtke also claimed that KDP and PUK participating in the elections would be to the disadvantage of the opposition.