|
Political parties in
Iraq's Kurdish north are campaigning to convince
reluctant Iraqi voters to vote in the upcoming
elections.
But while Kurdish officials say that democracy has
flourished in their semi-autonomous region since
splitting off from Saddam Hussein's central
government in 1992, there is only one way considered
acceptable to vote here.
"Vote for Kurdistan Alliance to maintain your
destiny," reads a banner draped across the Patriotic
Union of Kurdistan office in Sulaimaniya.
The TV channels and radio stations owned by the
Kurdish political parties broadcast daily talk shows
and interviews encouraging people to participate in
the election.
Party officials describe those who do not plan to
vote for the Kurdistan Alliance List as "traitors"
and "non-patriots".
The Kurdish parties warn voters of the challenges
they will face if the Kurds do not obtain enough
seats in the next Iraqi parliament.
Boycott calls
"The next election will indicate our future in
Iraq," said Kosret Rasul, the head of the high joint
committee of Kurdistan Alliance.
"The next Iraqi parliament will make the laws which
will organise the political, economic, social and
cultural affairs of Iraq. In addition, it will set
the problematic issues that have been postponed
during the constitutional process."
He referred to the fate of the oil-rich city of
Kirkuk, which Kurdish leaders seek to incorporate
into their autonomous region.
But not all Kurds are loyal to their political
parties. Many people criticise their performance and
the local administrations.
"I will stay home on election day," said Sadraddin
Mohammed, a 65-year-old Kurdish man in Sulaimaniya.
"The government and political party officials have
been stealing our resources for years, so why should
I go and vote for them?"
Some have even called for a boycott of the
elections, particularly among the youth who make up
more than 70% of the Kurdish community.
Kawa Aziz, a 23-year-old student at the University
of Sulaimaniya, said that the regional government of
Kurdistan had neglected the needs and demands of
youth and believed corruption had spread throughout
the administration.
Breakaway group
Criticism has increased against the two main Kurdish
parties ruling the autonomous region in northern
Iraq: the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) led by
Massoud Barzani, and the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan (PUK) led by the Iraqi President Jalal
Talabani.
Recently, the moderate Kurdistan Islamic Union,
which was a part of the Kurdistan Alliance list
during January's elections, decided to break away
from the grouping for the forthcoming elections.
In the past week, Islamic Union offices in the
northern city of Dohuk were burned and looted. Four
members of the Islamic Union were killed - one of
them a senior politburo member - and about 20 others
were injured.
The leader of the KIU, Salahuddin Muhammad Bahauddin,
accused KDP officials of the attacks and called for
the election to be postponed in the Dohuk area. KDP
leader Massoud Barzani condemned the violence.
Kurdish leaders say that they have established a
safe haven for democracy in their autonomous region
since 1992.
They say their government is a model for Iraq's
future. But the pre-election violence in the region
does not bode well for the new Iraqi government.
www.bbc.co.uk
Top |
® 