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For local Kurds, little is more important than
voting in the Iraqi election later this month.
Yet, travel could keep many expatriates from
participating.
Hussein Weled, a member of the North Dakota
Kurdistan Democratic Party, is among those who want
to cast a ballot.
"This will decide the future of Iraq, the future of
the Kurds," said the West Fargo man. "I'd love to
go, but I have a job."
Eligible Iraqis must travel to one of five U.S.
cities to register for the election before Sunday.
Chicago, about 650 miles away, is the closest
polling location to Fargo-Moorhead.
Voters then must return Jan. 28-30 to cast a ballot.
Other U.S. cities where Iraqis can vote are Detroit,
Nashville, Tenn., Los Angeles and Washington.
Many people won't be able to vote because they can't
take time off from work nor afford the trip, local
Kurdish leaders said.
"They are not making it easy," Yassin Barwari of
Fargo said, referring to a Geneva-based agency
organizing the overseas vote. "It doesn't make sense
to me."
The local Kurdistan Democratic Party hosted an
informational meeting on the election Sunday night.
The party offered to help large groups get to
Chicago by renting vans or buses.
So far, nobody has committed, Weled said. He
estimates there are 250 to 300 eligible voters
living in the region.
Some voters may decide at the last minute to travel
to Chicago on their own, he said. Nearly everybody
would go if they had to make only one trip to
register and vote, he said.
The dilemma frustrates Kurds, a minority ethnic
persecuted by Saddam Hussein. Many Iraqi Kurds saw
the dictator's removal as an opportunity to
establish an Iraqi democracy that would include
their voices.
"We fought for these elections," Barwari said. "We
need to find a way to participate."
The upcoming elections are one way the Kurds can
elect good Iraqi people to run the country, Weled
said.
Voters will elect members of an assembly that will
draft a constitution and elect a president.
"We know who the good people are," Weled said.
"They're the ones who suffered in Saddam's hands. We
need to help get them elected."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Erin Hemme Froslie
at (701) 241-5534
http://new.in-forum.com
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