ERBIL, Kurdistan Region— The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has passed a preliminary budget for holding general elections in the Kurdistan Region later this year despite uncertainty surrounding the polling date.

The $20 million budget will finance the anticipated elections for the regional parliament and presidency although no official days have been announced to hold the votes as the country struggles to recover from a lingering political deadlock.

The parliament has been virtually shut down since November 2015 after tensions among political parties deepened over the post of presidency and the region's draft constitution.

Senior members of the political factions have in the past predicted that the polls will be postponed due to the unresolved disagreement.

“According to our preparations, we will hold the elections for the parliament and the regional presidency on November 11, 2017 since the term of the parliament expires on that day,” said Jutiar Adil, member of the Kurdistan Region High Electoral Committee.

“September 6 will be the deadline for the president to officially ask the committee to hold the elections,” he added.

Adil also said most preparations had already been completed and if assigned the committee could hold the elections in November.

A key issue at the center of the disagreements among parties is the position and constitutional form of the presidency in the region, which the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) wants to be elected directly in a popular vote, with major executive powers.

The opposition Change Movement (Gorran), however, has passionately campaigned for a constitutional president that is accordingly elected by the parliament with as few executive powers as possible, something the KDP has categorically rejected.

The Kurdish draft constitution, passed in the regional parliament in 2009 with an overwhelming majority, is in line with the KDP position regarding a more powerful president. But the draft needs to be put to referendum before it is established as the Kurdistan Region’s constitution, something Gorran has consistently opposed.