Gorran Calls for Boycott of November 11 Iraqi Parliamentary Elections in Kurdistan Region

Peregraf- The Change Movement (Gorran) announced on Sunday that it will boycott the November 11 Iraqi parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region, while urging voters in Kirkuk and other disputed territories to participate and back Kurdish candidates.

The decision followed a meeting of Gorran’s National Council (Jivati Nîştimanî), convened to assess the political landscape and determine the party’s electoral stance. According to the statement issued after the meeting, the decision was based on internal polling among party members, consultations with prominent figures, and recommendations from the General Council (Jivati Gîştî).

“After discussion and deliberation, it was decided to boycott the elections at the level of the Region’s provinces and to question the results and outcomes,” the statement read. “Regarding Kirkuk and the disputed territories, as a national and patriotic responsibility, we encourage our voters to participate in the elections and vote for those Kurdish candidates who will engage in parliamentary struggle for the Kurdish identity of those areas and the defense of national rights.”

Gorran argued that the election process “does not reflect the real will of the voters,” alleging that money, weapons, and regional influence continue to shape outcomes and entrench political power. This, the movement said, has contributed to the failure of Iraq’s democratic experience and deepened voter mistrust.

“We call on the voters of the Change Movement and the citizens to not participate in the elections,” the statement continued. “This stance expresses a bitter reality of the failure of the political process and the loss of public trust, which requires the creation of a new style of political work.”

The movement also called for broader coordination among opposition forces, urging political parties, civil society organizations, and academics in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to join in forming a “boycott front” capable of challenging the ruling establishment. Such a coalition, it said, could help prevent elections from continuing to serve merely as a “show for the success of the ruling caste” and a source of further disappointment for both the opposition and the public.

A Movement in Decline

Gorran’s decision comes as the movement faces an existential crisis following years of internal division and declining public support.

Founded in 2009 by reformist leader Nawshirwan Mustafa, Gorran emerged as a powerful challenge to the long-dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Its stunning debut saw it win 25 seats, reshaping Kurdish politics and channeling public frustration over corruption and entrenched patronage networks.

However, after Mustafa’s death, Gorran struggled with leadership vacuums, internal defections, and a loss of public confidence. Its decisions to join the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in 2013 and 2019 angered segments of its reformist base who saw the move as a betrayal of its founding principles. In the 2021 Iraqi parliamentary elections, the party secured just one seat. 

Today, Gorran also faces procedural challenges and could hold its general conference in accordance with the procedures of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), as result, the movement was excluded from the November 11 vote.

As Gorran urges its supporters to boycott the elections in the Kurdistan Region, its latest stance underscores both its political marginalization and the broader crisis of confidence in Iraq’s electoral system.