Election campaigns in Shingal district of Nineveh Province are not proceeding normally, marred by an exchange of accusations due to escalating conflict between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the winner of the previous elections, and its new rivals seeking to win the Ezidi (Yazidi) vote and bring down the KDP.
The KDP accuses its rivals of distorting the election campaign environment and restricting freedom of campaigning. However, some rivals say the KDP fears losing its seats and position after securing all three seats allocated to Shingal in the 2021 elections.
Idris Zozani, a party member in the KDP's 17th branch, told KirkukNow, "Our candidates in Shingal are being prevented from campaigning and do not enjoy the freedom available in other areas of Nineveh. They are tearing down our posters and burning our campaign offices."
The 17th branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Shingal left the district in 2014 when it fell under the control of ISIS militants. The branch's headquarters remain in the Sumel district of Duhok northern province.
Zozani's statements came after unknown individuals set fire to the office of KDP candidate and MP Mahma Khalil in Shingal on October 15th at night.
Saeed Batoush, head of the Progress Party, which won the Ezidi quota seat in the previous two elections, raised suspicions about the arson attack on Khalil's office, asking, "Why weren't the security cameras working during the incident? Why aren't they revealing the identities of those involved?"
Shingal district (120 km west of Mosul) is predominantly Ezidi, and 210,000 of its residents remain displaced after ISIS militants seized control of Shingal in August 2014, subjecting the district's inhabitants to killing, kidnapping, and forced displacement.
Shingal remains unstable, with eight armed groups present, some affiliated with various parties and factions, playing a role in nominating and supporting candidates for the elections.
Fifty-five candidates from dozens of parties, groups, and alliances are competing in the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11, vying for the votes of Shingal's electorate. For the first time, the Ezidis are participating with their own alliance, the Ezidi Cause Alliance, which includes 31 candidates, all from the Ezidi religious community.
The Progress Party, part of the alliance, along with several other Ezidi parties and figures currently residing in Shingal, successfully secured the Ezidi quota seat in the previous two election cycles. The alliance aims to win a majority of Shingal's votes and defeat its rivals for the first time.
"People are dissatisfied with the Kurdistan Democratic Party's policies, so the party is spreading misinformation about the election campaign environment in Shingal," Saeed Batoush stated.
"The Popular Mobilization Forces have four candidates and are conducting their campaigns without any problems. Similarly, the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and other forces are operating without any obstacles."
The forces Batoush mentioned failed to win any seats in the Shingal district in the previous elections, but this time they are trying to undermine the KDP's position.
In the 2021 elections, voter turnout across the eight electoral districts in Nineveh was 42 percent. However, statistics from the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq IHEC showed that turnout in Shingal was only 30 percent, the lowest among all electoral districts in Nineveh province.
In the previous elections, 69,000 displaced people in camps in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI, particularly in Duhok, were eligible to vote. However, in the upcoming elections, only 25,986 displaced people who registered with the electoral commission will be eligible to vote at polling stations designated for the camps. A source in the Duhok electoral commission office told KirkukNow, "The rest will either lose their votes or have to return to their original areas in Shingal, the Nineveh Plain, or Mosul on election day."
The KDP has a broad popular base in Nineveh. In the parliamentary elections held on October 10, 2021, KDP candidates garnered 136,783 votes, securing nine parliamentary seats out of 34.
"The situation is different in these elections. People no longer want the KDP. In recent days, their candidates have been visiting citizens' homes, but the people haven't opened their doors to them. No one told the people of Shingal to behave this way toward the KDP; it's a spontaneous reaction," Saeed Batoush said.
However, Idris Zozani said that these groups fear the KDP's voice and standing, "so they are obstructing our election campaigns," without naming these groups.
"We have filed complaints with the electoral commission. Freedom of campaigning must be available to everyone."
In response to Idris Zozani's statements, Khal Ali, a senior military official in the Popular Mobilization Forces PMF in Shingal, said, "If a group of children tore down some posters, this does not reflect the opinion or behavior of the other parties."
Khal did not hide their desire to win the votes of Shingal voters, as they had nominated Ezidi candidates in Shingal.
The largest number of registered voters, after the capital Baghdad, is in Nineveh, where 2,102,429 people updated their data. However, it is unclear how many of these voters are Ezidi or from Shingal District.
According to statistics from the KRG's Department of Migration, Displacement and Crisis Response, there are 55,000 displaced families, comprising 210,000 individuals, in Duhok. Of these, 110,000 reside in IDP camps, while another 100,000 families have integrated into host communities.
In these elections, 1,047 candidates are vying for 34 parliamentary seats across Nineveh, including three seats reserved for Christians, Ezidis, and Shabak quota. Each parliamentary seat is worth approximately 62,000 votes, assuming a 100% voter turnout.
Zozani believes the KDP can maintain its position despite the obstacles.
However, the PMF commander reiterated that the KDP has not faced any harassment. "Mahma Khalil organized a rally in Sinuny that was attended by only 500 people. Another KDP candidate tried to campaign in Khansour, a district where the KDP previously won with 13,000 votes, but the residents of Khansour prevented him. The people of Shingal refuse to allow any party to provoke Shingal and its inhabitants."
