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Kurds flock to the
polling stations in the hope of strengthening their
political muscle.
Voter turnout was high in northern Iraq, as large
numbers of Kurdish voters cast ballots hoping to win
greater autonomy for their region.
There were some reports of violence in the
ethnically-divided city of Kirkuk. One person was
reportedly killed when a mortar shell fell on the
sports stadium, where displaced Kurds were voting.
There also were small skirmishes between Iraqi
National Guards and insurgents in Hawija, southwest
of the city. No casualties were reported.
Election officials reported that voting in many
Kirkuk polling stations was over by midday, although
the polling sites stayed open until 5 pm, in
accordance with election law.
Many Kurds view oil-rich Kirkuk as a future capital
and economic heart of an independent Kurdish state.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands
have returned to try to reclaim their homes and
register to vote in the city, which lies just
outside the Kurdish autonomous region.
The Independent Electoral Commission announced
earlier this month that displaced Kurds would be
granted the right to vote in Kirkuk’s election,
causing leading Arab parties to boycott the poll.
Abdulrahman al-Munshid al-Ubaidi, an Arab leader in
Kirkuk, urged Arabs to vote for the Turkoman Front
days before the elections.
“We and the Turkoman Front are people of the same
house (ilk) and we won’t allow the Kurds to be
victorious in their attempt to annex Kirkuk to the
Kurdistan region,” he said.
Polling violations were reported in some of the
city’s districts. Arif Qurbani, a Kurdish reporter,
said that members of the Turkoman Front were seen
telling voters in one district to avoid marking
their fingers with indelible ink so they could vote
a second time for the Turkoman list.
In other districts, people held celebrations to mark
the historic vote.
Voters in the mainly Kurdish al-Iskan neighbourhood
danced in the streets and slaughtered sheep as
offerings.
Farther north in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah,
poll workers said the elections went smoothly. They
said the only problems involved illiterate voters
coming to the polling stations without a literate
helper, which is permitted by law. Officials in
charge of the polling stations stepped in to help.
"There have not been any problems hampering the
process, but we cannot monitor the official in
charge of polling station when he votes for
illiterate people,” said Hushiyar Najeeb, a poll
monitor with the Kurdistan Communist Party.
The only other problems involved mistakes in voter
registration. The Independent Electoral Commission
determined that those voters could amend their
entries and still vote.
"Fortunately there are few problems like these,"
said electoral commission worker Daroon Rahim.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, Secretary-General
Jalal Talabani was one of the first people to vote
in Sulaimaniyah, where citizens began lining up
before polling stations opened.
The Kurdish turnout across the region reflected the
community’s hope that the ballot would win them
greater autonomy.
Women in bright Kurdish costumes waited outside
voting centres in Sulaimaniyah with children or
elderly parents in tow. People exited polling
stations proudly showing fingers stained by the
purple ink used to ensure people could not vote
twice.
"I wish my baby could be born today so that it would
be proud of itself,"
said pregnant woman Dashney Bakir.
This story has not been bylined because of concerns
for the security of IWPR reporter.
www.iwpr.net
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