Iraq
A group of men sitting and speaking under the shade of a tree in Ranya town, Sulaimani province, in October 2025. Photo: screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Youth migration and unemployment are among the main issues of concern for voters in the town of Ranya in northern Sulaimani province.
“The youth here, including my sons, I prefer they drown in the sea rather than staying here,” said Mam Talaat, an elderly resident of Ranya. As long as the youth stay here “they cannot get married, or support themselves… Kurdistan is devolving day after day.”
Talaat said that previous elections did not usher any changes and he does not plan to vote in November’s Iraqi parliamentary election.
“The military wings of the two main parties have taken voter cards from their recruits and whether they like it or not their superior will use their cards to vote for their candidate of choice,” Talaat added. The two main parties are the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
As part of Rudaw’s special election coverage, the program Who is Stronger (Ke Baheza in Kurdish) spoke to voters in Ranya. The town is also known as Raparin, meaning uprising, because it was the first to rise up against Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1990.
Many of Ranya’s youth have left the town, taking dangerous routes to Europe. Unemployment is one of the factors driving their exit.
“There is no company in Ranya [because many] high ranking officials will ask for a free share in the company,” a young man said. He also complained that the tourism sector is very weak in Ranya.
“Officials in government do not support people, They only support those closest to them,” said a middle aged man who complained that after elections those who are voted into parliament do not fulfill their promises.
“We have always hoped that Kurds govern us, not foreigners. Now that they do, they do not do us justice,” said another.
Campaigning will continue until November 8. Security forces and special voters will cast their ballots on November 9, followed by the general election on November 11.
“The youth here, including my sons, I prefer they drown in the sea rather than staying here,” said Mam Talaat, an elderly resident of Ranya. As long as the youth stay here “they cannot get married, or support themselves… Kurdistan is devolving day after day.”
Talaat said that previous elections did not usher any changes and he does not plan to vote in November’s Iraqi parliamentary election.
“The military wings of the two main parties have taken voter cards from their recruits and whether they like it or not their superior will use their cards to vote for their candidate of choice,” Talaat added. The two main parties are the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
As part of Rudaw’s special election coverage, the program Who is Stronger (Ke Baheza in Kurdish) spoke to voters in Ranya. The town is also known as Raparin, meaning uprising, because it was the first to rise up against Saddam Hussein’s regime in 1990.
Many of Ranya’s youth have left the town, taking dangerous routes to Europe. Unemployment is one of the factors driving their exit.
“There is no company in Ranya [because many] high ranking officials will ask for a free share in the company,” a young man said. He also complained that the tourism sector is very weak in Ranya.
“Officials in government do not support people, They only support those closest to them,” said a middle aged man who complained that after elections those who are voted into parliament do not fulfill their promises.
“We have always hoped that Kurds govern us, not foreigners. Now that they do, they do not do us justice,” said another.
Campaigning will continue until November 8. Security forces and special voters will cast their ballots on November 9, followed by the general election on November 11.
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