KRG parliament in Iraq postpones elections for eight months
Simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in northern Iraq had been due to take place on November 1 but were delayed amid tensions over disputed territory with the central government in Baghdad.
Vehicles of Kurdish Peshmarga Forces are seen near Altun Kupri between Kirkuk and Erbil, Iraq October 20, 2017.
Parliament in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) decided Tuesday to hold legislative elections in eight months after they were delayed amid tensions over disputed territory with the central government in Baghdad.
Simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in the region had been due to take place on November 1 but were delayed.
There was no immediate word on a date for a new presidential election.
The elections would have taken place just over a month after a non-binding referendum in September in northern Iraq that resulted in a massive "yes" for adminsitrative independence.
The KRG has not declared independence and the polls were explicitly for the parliament and presidency of the region, not for an independent state.
Baghdad retaliated to the referendum with a ban on international flights for airports in the country's north, while Iran and Turkey launched joint military drills with Iraqi troops at their borders with the KRG.
The Iran-backed Iraqi government has rejected a KRG offer to discuss independence. It demanded Kurdish leaders cancel the result of the referendum or face continued sanctions, international isolation and possible military intervention.
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