SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan’s second biggest party Gorran, or Change Movement, has said that the people of Kurdistan are free to do as they choose in the Kurdistan independence referendum.
The party has not supported or opposed the referendum, but has raised objections to the timing and mechanism of the vote.
“As Gorran, we tell the people of Kurdistan that they are free in how they deal with this process,” read a statement issued by the party Sunday night.
Earlier in the evening, the Islamic Group (Komal), which has held a similar view to Gorran, announced they support a ‘yes’ vote.
Gorran and Komal have repeatedly said they support independence for Kurdistan and they consider a referendum the right method to achieve that, but they objected to the timing of the September 25 vote and the way in which the referendum has been called and organized.
The party’s statement said that since the Kurdish leadership did not consider offers from the international community to postpone the vote and failed to reach a consensus at home, they will hold the parties who called for the referendum responsible for any “unwanted consequences” that may result.