Iraqi Kurds are planning referendum

Kurdistan Erbil Iraq, Independence referendumErbil, Capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. Photo: Myararat83 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18506994

Iraqi Kurds are planning a referendum on independence

The inhabitants of the autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq will hold referendum on independence on September 25, the Kurdish autonomous authorities inform.

 

The idea of an independent state has broad support among the Kurds in Iraq, but a yes to secession in a referendum this autumn will only be the start of a controversial project that will meet challenges, both from within and outside.

– This will be the day when the people of the region of Kurdistan, and those living in the disputed areas, will cast their votes on whether they accept independence, according to the statement from the Kurdish authorities.

The decision was taken at a meeting where Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani and representatives of the region’s political parties participated.

Iraqi Kurdistan consists of three provinces under the control of self-government and protected by its own security services. Thus, the foundation of a potential state is in place.

Iraqi Kurdistan (wikipedia)

Iraqi Kurdistan, officially called the Kurdistan Region (Central Kurdish: هه‌رێمی کوردستان‎, Arabic: إقليم كردستان‎‎) by the Iraqi constitution, is located in the north of Iraq and constitutes the country’s only autonomous region.It is frequently referred to as Southern Kurdistan (Central Kurdish: باشووری کوردستان‎; Northern Kurdish: Başûrê Kurdistanê), as Kurds generally consider it to be one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), northern Syria (Rojava or Western Kurdistan), and northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan).

The region is officially governed by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with the capital being Erbil. Kurdistan is a parliamentary democracy with its own regional Parliament that consists of 111 seats. Masoud Barzani, who was initially elected as president in 2005, was re-elected in 2009. In August 2013 the parliament extended his presidency for another two years. His presidency concluded on 19 August 2015 after the political parties failed to reach an agreement on extending his term.

 

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