ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Hundreds of thousands of people are eligible to cast a ballot in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum in Nineveh Province, according to a local election official. The town of Sheikhan in the Yezidi homeland of Shingal will serve as the province’s primary voting center.
“After the Peshmerga-controlled areas officially called upon the commission to hold the referendum in their areas, they opened an office of the commission in Nineveh Province last week. Our office is now based in the town of Sheikhan. We have done most of the preparations for holding the referendum in this area,” the head of the office, Sahid Jirdo, told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan election commission in Sheikhan has hired 1,400 people to work for Monday’s vote. Jirdo explained that they will have 140 voting stations throughout Nineveh and people can vote using their identity or ration cards.
The towns of Bashiqa, Zilkan, Al Qosh, Wana, Zummar, Ayazya, Rabiha, and areas in the Shingal Plains were liberated from ISIS over the past two years.
Many people from Nineveh remain displaced, thus necessitating the need to set up voting centers in Peshmerga-controlled areas.
“The Duhok office will oversee the IDPs, and we will be supervising the 300,000 IDPs who have returned to their homes,” Jirdo said.
Kurdistan’s Independent High Referendum and Electoral Commission (IHREC) has stated arrangements have been made for eligible voters who are displaced in camps to participate in the referendum.
The Kurdistan Region is hosting 231,306 displaced people from Nineveh, according to Joint Crisis Coordination Centre statistics in September.
Southern areas of Shingal are under the control of the Iraqi government’s Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary units, while northern areas of the Yezidi homeland are secured by Kurdish forces. The demarcation line is just north of Kocho.
“We have been making preparations to hold the referendum in Shingal areas. The Kurdistan Region’s High Electoral and Referendum Committee decided to set up eight voting stations in Shingal area. Seven of them will be in Snuny area and one in Shingal town center,” Mahma Khalil, the mayor of Shingal city, told Rudaw.
Khanasour and other areas in Shingal are under the control of the Shingal Protection Units (YBS), a local Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) affiliate.
“We will not open voting stations in areas under PKK control. But we have plans to transport the people of these places. They can vote in Snuny and in the desert by Mount Shingal,” Khalil explained.
YBS and Roj Peshmerga (brigades from Syria under the control of the Ministry of Interior) clashed this spring in Khanasour.
Many Arabs from the west Tigris area and have said that they also would be taking part in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
“Nearly 400 villages in west Tigris are currently under the control of the Peshmerga. There are nearly 25,000 Arabs living in these areas. Some pro-independence rallies were held in these places. In addition, representatives of Rabiha, Zummar and Ayazya have officially called for the referendum to be held in their areas,” Sheikh Mizahim Alhuti, a spokesperson for the Arab tribes in areas west of Tigris, told Rudaw.
The Arabs of these places are mainly from Shamar in Rabia on the border with Syria. Most of them fled to the Kurdistan Region when ISIS attacked in August 2014. They returned when their hometowns were liberated by Kurdish Peshmerga in October 2014.
“According to our predictions, 90 percent of the Arabs from these places will take part in the referendum, and most of them will vote ‘Yes’ because they all know very well that we will have a better future with Kurdistan. Our future with Iraq and the Shiites will be unclear if we are not part of the Kurdistan Region,” Alhuti said.
The provinces of Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja comprise the Kurdistan Region. Local councils and governments in the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by Erbil and Baghdad have decided whether or not they will participate in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
The question voters will answer on Monday is: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state: ‘Yes’ or ‘No?’ ”
“After the Peshmerga-controlled areas officially called upon the commission to hold the referendum in their areas, they opened an office of the commission in Nineveh Province last week. Our office is now based in the town of Sheikhan. We have done most of the preparations for holding the referendum in this area,” the head of the office, Sahid Jirdo, told Rudaw.
The Kurdistan election commission in Sheikhan has hired 1,400 people to work for Monday’s vote. Jirdo explained that they will have 140 voting stations throughout Nineveh and people can vote using their identity or ration cards.
The towns of Bashiqa, Zilkan, Al Qosh, Wana, Zummar, Ayazya, Rabiha, and areas in the Shingal Plains were liberated from ISIS over the past two years.
Many people from Nineveh remain displaced, thus necessitating the need to set up voting centers in Peshmerga-controlled areas.
“The Duhok office will oversee the IDPs, and we will be supervising the 300,000 IDPs who have returned to their homes,” Jirdo said.
Kurdistan’s Independent High Referendum and Electoral Commission (IHREC) has stated arrangements have been made for eligible voters who are displaced in camps to participate in the referendum.
The Kurdistan Region is hosting 231,306 displaced people from Nineveh, according to Joint Crisis Coordination Centre statistics in September.
Southern areas of Shingal are under the control of the Iraqi government’s Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitary units, while northern areas of the Yezidi homeland are secured by Kurdish forces. The demarcation line is just north of Kocho.
“We have been making preparations to hold the referendum in Shingal areas. The Kurdistan Region’s High Electoral and Referendum Committee decided to set up eight voting stations in Shingal area. Seven of them will be in Snuny area and one in Shingal town center,” Mahma Khalil, the mayor of Shingal city, told Rudaw.
Khanasour and other areas in Shingal are under the control of the Shingal Protection Units (YBS), a local Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) affiliate.
“We will not open voting stations in areas under PKK control. But we have plans to transport the people of these places. They can vote in Snuny and in the desert by Mount Shingal,” Khalil explained.
YBS and Roj Peshmerga (brigades from Syria under the control of the Ministry of Interior) clashed this spring in Khanasour.
Many Arabs from the west Tigris area and have said that they also would be taking part in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
“Nearly 400 villages in west Tigris are currently under the control of the Peshmerga. There are nearly 25,000 Arabs living in these areas. Some pro-independence rallies were held in these places. In addition, representatives of Rabiha, Zummar and Ayazya have officially called for the referendum to be held in their areas,” Sheikh Mizahim Alhuti, a spokesperson for the Arab tribes in areas west of Tigris, told Rudaw.
The Arabs of these places are mainly from Shamar in Rabia on the border with Syria. Most of them fled to the Kurdistan Region when ISIS attacked in August 2014. They returned when their hometowns were liberated by Kurdish Peshmerga in October 2014.
“According to our predictions, 90 percent of the Arabs from these places will take part in the referendum, and most of them will vote ‘Yes’ because they all know very well that we will have a better future with Kurdistan. Our future with Iraq and the Shiites will be unclear if we are not part of the Kurdistan Region,” Alhuti said.
The provinces of Duhok, Erbil, Sulaimani, and Halabja comprise the Kurdistan Region. Local councils and governments in the disputed or Kurdistani areas claimed by Erbil and Baghdad have decided whether or not they will participate in the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum.
The question voters will answer on Monday is: “Do you want the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdistani areas outside the administration of the Region to become an independent state: ‘Yes’ or ‘No?’ ”
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