|
New constitution of Iraqi Kurdistan is a
model for the nationality and minority politics of
the Near-east
3.7.2009
|
|
|
|
July
3, 2009
ERBIL-Hewlêr,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — The
Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) has described
the new constitution of the autonomous federal state
of Iraqi Kurdistan as a shining model for the
nationality politics and the solution of the
minority problems in the Near-east. "The rights of
all large ethnic groups in Iraqi Kurdistan are
expressly anchored, including the right to
self-government and freedom of religion”, said the
President of the GfbV International, Tilman Zülch,
on Tuesday in Göttingen.
Smaller communities too have the opportunity to
develop. (entfalten”) The regional parliament in
Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan,
passed the
draft constitution last week. Now it is for the
citizens of the federal state to vote for or against
the new constitution at the presidential and
parliamentary elections scheduled for 25th July.
The wishes of all nationalities have been respected
in the new constitution. Article 15 says: "The
people of the federal state of Iraqi Kurdistan is
made up of Kurds,www.ekurd.net
Arabs, Turkmens, Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians,
Armenians and other citizens of Kurdistan /Iraq.”
Article 35 says: "This constitution guarantees the
national, cultural and administrative rights of the
Turkmens, Arabs, Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians and
Armenians including their right to regional autonomy
in the regions and communities in which these ethnic
groups form a majority.” Article 36 guarantees
complete freedom of religion also for the Christian
denominations and the religious community of the
Kurdish Yezidi.
Apart from the Kurdish and Arab languages Turkmen,
New Aramaic and Armenian are recognized as languages
of the smaller nationalities. In communities or
regions where these form the majority local or
regional autonomy is granted. The right to native
language instruction is guaranteed by the
constitution from primary school to university.
An electoral law for Kurdistan also sets down that
eleven of the 111 seats in the regional parliament
are reserved for non-Kurdish nationalities: five
seats each for Turkmens and Christians and one seat
for the small Armenian ethnic group. For the
provincial councils also a comprehensive quota
system has been introduced.
In Sulaimaniyah one seat has been reserved for the
Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians, In Erbil there are three
seats for the Turkmens, two for the Aramaic-speaking
Christians and one for the Armenians, while in Duhok
two seats are reserved for the Aramaic-speaking
Christians and one for the Armenians. The smaller
peoples will be having as a result of their
guaranteed seats in all bodies more representatives
than corresponds to their percentage in the total
population.
In Kurdistan/Iraq there is today a Turkmen and a New
Aramaic school system with 58 Aramaic,www.ekurd.net
16
Turkmen and two Armenian schools. Both nationalities
have media (press, radio, TV and culture institutes)
in their languages. There is also a private Turkish
university and a theological seminar of the Chaldaic
Catholic Church for the training of priests, which
following the recent mass flight of Christians from
Baghdad was transferred to the Kurd capital of
Erbil.
The GfbV is represented in Erbil / Iraqi Kurdistan
by a section to which representatives of all ethnic
and religious communities belong.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency,
gfbv de
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
®