Northern Iraq's KRG calls for presidential, parliamentary elections

Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) is calling presidential and parliamentary elections for November 1, the Erbil-based Rudaw TV said on Tuesday.

A non-binding referendum on support for administrative independence held on September 25 in the country's northern regions raised fears in Iraq and abroad of ethnic strains.

The elections would be calculated to reinforce the legitimacy of the leadership ahead of further negotiations with Baghdad.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday Turkey would impose further sanctions on the KRG over the vote. Powerful neighbours Ankara and Tehran fear it could fuel Kurdish separatism within their own borders.

The KRG has not declared independence. The November polls are 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 Shia Arab-led 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.

On Tuesday, the federal parliament in Baghdad raised the threat of excluding those among Kurdish members who voted in the referendum, on the basis that the vote was unconstitutional.

The parliament decided to collect the names of those who voted in the referendum as a step towards their impeachment by the Higher Federal Court, Speaker Salim al Jabouri told a news conference after the session.

Jabouri said he was willing to open a dialogue with the KRG to resolve disputes but ruled out talks on independence.