|
Iraqi Kurds seek change in parliamentary
campaign
23.6.2009
|
|
|
|
June
23, 2009
SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', —
Kurdish candidates have begun campaigning for the
first elections in four years in their
semiautonomous Kurdistan regin in Iraq's north — and
the kickoff heralds an unusually bitter campaign.
The July 25 vote for a new 111-seat Kurdistan
National Assembly is expected to cast a spotlight on
allegations of corruption and financial
improprieties among the entrenched political parties
who have held sway in this northern region for
decades.
The balloting comes amid increased infighting among
the ethnic minority, which has been a staunch U.S.
ally, as the political landscape shifts in Iraq
ahead of the expected withdrawal of U.S. forces by
the end of 2011.
A month of campaigning kicked off in the Kurdish
region on Monday, with banners and posters plastered
on buses, taxis, walls and even trees, reflecting a
new sense of enthusiasm about an election that
previously has been dominated by two mainstream
parties now facing demands for change.
Khabat Nawzad, a 25-year-old resident of Halabja,
which was devastated by a chemical weapons attack
under Saddam Hussein's regime, said voters were more
energized than they had been in 2005.
"I have a feeling that this election will be
different from the previous one ... people are
expecting a surprise in the results," he said.
"People in Halabja usually criticize the Kurdish
government for its lies toward the people here so I
think the opposition will gain votes here."
Nawshirwan Mustafa
has emerged as a popular reformist candidate with an
independent group calling itself simply Change.
Tired of the Kurdish two-party dominance and unable
to push through reforms within the Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan (PUK),www.ekurd.net
Mustafa has said he wants to draw in those unhappy
with the current political landscape.
He is among a wave of independent Iraqi politicians
trying to break the hold of religious parties and
other traditional power brokers by tapping into
frustration felt by Kurds and many Iraqis over
perceived failures of the current administrations.
The trend was evident in the Jan. 31 provincial
elections held in areas outside the semiautonomous
Kurdish region in the north.
The Kurds separated from the rest of Iraq after
rising up against Saddam in 1991, aided by a
U.S.-British no-fly zone that helped keep the
dictator at bay.
Their region has largely escaped the sectarian
violence that flared between Sunni and Shiite
Muslims elsewhere in the wartorn nation, in part
because of the presence of well-trained Kurdish
security forces known as peshmerga,www.ekurd.net
who became battle-hardened while fighting Saddam
Hussein's regime.
There are 24 political blocs vying for seats, with
several opposition groups seeking to oust the two
main Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of
Kurdistan, or PUK, and the Kurdistan Democratic
Party, or KDP, which have joined forces.
The two parties are also thought to pull all the
strings in the region's daily affairs, including
businesses and commerce. The electoral commission
has recorded 2.5 million registered voters for the
Kurdish vote.
Signs of tension appeared shortly after campaigning
officially began on Monday as several banners were
torn from the walls.
Zana Abdul-Kerim, a spokesman for one of the
reformist blocs called Progress, said the smaller
parties were at a disadvantage and expressed concern
about the potential for fraud.
"There is a big gap between the two main Kurdish
parties and the other candidates because of
financial and logistical aspects," he said. "We
can't compete with them. They have the government
budget as well the budget from the two parties,www.ekurd.net
but there is popular anger toward them."
Baram Subhi, a 22-year-old university student in
Sulaimaniyah, was more optimistic about the chances
for the new parties.
"There are other lists that have a great chance at
winning," he said.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency,
AP
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
®
