New Generation Movement President Shaswar Abdulwahid speaks during a press conference on October 12, 2021 (NRT Digital Media/Screenshot)
PM:07:10:12/10/2021
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SULAIMANI — Following an impressive performance in Iraq’s
parliamentary election, New Generation Movement President Shaswar Abdulwahid
declared on Tuesday (October 12) that the Movement has become the second
political force in the Kurdistan Region.
During a press conference in Sulaimani, Abdulwahid thanked
voters, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), the UN, and foreign
governments for supporting the process.
"If another ten percent of the people had gone to vote, New
Generation would have been the first force now,” he said, adding that achieving
that result remains a goal of the Movement.
The New Generation Movement was founded in 2018 as a
response to the policies of the ruling parties and won nine seats in the
Region’s governorates and Kirkuk in the 2021 election, up from four in 2018.
Abdulwahid said that the Movement’s members do not have
ambitions of securing lucrative government positions like those in other
parties, but would focus their attention on the interests of the people.
He said that public sector salaries, the Peshmerga, and
Kirkuk are the most important issues for the Movement this coming parliamentary
term, adding that New Generation will not stand against anything that is in the
interest of Kurds.
Regarding the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Abdulwahid said that the parties suffered their worst
result in 30 years, referring to massive declines in the number of voters who
supported them.
He also noted that it is the first time that another party
from the Kurdistan Region other than the PUK or the KDP won a seat in Kirkuk.
(NRT Digital Media)