The Kurdistan Communist Party, which recently held its congress and renewed its leadership, is entering the Iraqi parliamentary elections with only one candidate, aiming to win the sole Christian "quota" seat in Erbil - The electoral system for quota seats operates on a single-constituency basis.

For the upcoming sixth term of the Iraqi parliament elections, scheduled for November 11 this year, the Communist Party is participating with just one candidate. The party is supporting a female candidate, Thaera Yousif Aziz, for the Christian quota seat within Erbil governorate.

According to the electoral system, out of the total 329 parliamentary seats in Iraq, only 9 are allocated as minority "quota" seats. Of these, Erbil has only one Christian quota seat. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), similar to its approach in Kirkuk, seeks to secure the seat through an alliance with the Chaldean Babylon Movement. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), as the ruling power in the capital, also wants to assign the seat to one of its affiliates. The Kurdistan Communist Party, therefore, finds itself in the middle of a political tug-of-war between the PUK and the KDP over Erbil’s single seat.

The quota election system for minorities follows a single-constituency model, meaning that candidates running for the Christian quota seat in Erbil can receive votes from across all of Iraq, unlike general seats, where votes are confined to each province.

Taking advantage of this system, the Communist Party aims to repeat its 2021 strategy by directing votes from its supporters across the Kurdistan Region and disputed areas toward Thaera Yousif Aziz in Erbil.

In the October 2021 elections, using the same approach, the Communist Party succeeded in winning the Christian quota seat in Erbil for its candidate Farouq Hanna Atto Shamoun, who secured 5,495 votes.

Following its latest congress, the Kurdistan Communist Party elected Abu Karwan as its new Secretary-General, replacing Kawa Mahmoud, and appointed Hiwa Omar as Deputy Secretary. This new leadership is now preparing for its first major political test on November 11, hoping to maintain at least the parliamentary seat previously held by Farouq Hanna.