Displaced Kirkuk voters urge Kurds to cast a ballot
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurds who were displaced from their homes in Kirkuk four years ago are urging their fellow voters to cast a ballot to ensure a Kurdish majority in the disputed province.
“It is very crucial that we vote as Kurds from Kirkuk because one less vote means one less vote for Kurds, whether here or in Kirkuk,” said voter Yashar Jabar.
Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse province, home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. In previous elections, Kurdish parties have secured a majority of votes. On October 16, 2017, after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces retook control of Kirkuk, expelling Kurdish security forces. Thousands of Kurdish families fled to provinces of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish governor was replaced with an Arab. Now, Kurds believe their vote is essential to maintaining their majority.
Ismael Ahmad was one of those who were displaced to Erbil. In the last election, he voted in Erbil. “Now we are all ready to vote with our families. If the political parties say, we will go back to Kirkuk, we don’t mind. But if it is here, we prefer it, as it is better for us,” he told Rudaw on Saturday.
Three members of Iraq’s parliament representing Arab and Turkmen communities have called for a weeklong postponement of the election in Kirkuk city, saying they were concerned about Kurdish Peshmerga returning to the city. The Peshmerga denied there is a plan for Kurdish deployment to the city, and accused the MPs of trying to stir up voters.
The displacement in 2017 was not the first wave of migration out of Kirkuk. In the 1980s, during the former Baath regime’s genocidal campaign against Kurds, many Kurdish families fled to Erbil and other provinces, deeper into Kurdistan Region territory. Some families have remained in Erbil, but they return to Kirkuk every election.
“In 1986 we were displaced just because we were Kurds. We vote at Pirde (Altun Kupri) which is part of Kirkuk, and our vote is for Kurds certainly,” Mahdi Zryan told Rudaw.
According to Iraq’s directorate of migration Erbil office, in 2017, around 7,000 families from Kirkuk were displaced to Erbil. Around 5,000 of them have since returned home. Another around 8,000 families were displaced to Erbil in 1986 and still remain.
The election commission issued biometric voting cards for displaced voters who brought documentation of their status. “Now there are around 25,200 displaced voters in Erbil who are allowed to vote on October 8, two days ahead of elections in Erbil, but their vote will count for their own provinces,” Botan Sherko Jaff from the electoral commission office in Erbil told Rudaw.
Kirkuk province is divided into three constituencies with a combined 12 seats up for grab. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which for years has gained the most votes in the province, is running seven candidates as part of the Kurdistan Coalition with Gorran. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) did not run in the province in the last election, but this year is fielding two candidates.
At least 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections next month, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
Additional reporting by Farhad Dolamari
“It is very crucial that we vote as Kurds from Kirkuk because one less vote means one less vote for Kurds, whether here or in Kirkuk,” said voter Yashar Jabar.
Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse province, home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen. In previous elections, Kurdish parties have secured a majority of votes. On October 16, 2017, after the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Iraqi forces retook control of Kirkuk, expelling Kurdish security forces. Thousands of Kurdish families fled to provinces of the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish governor was replaced with an Arab. Now, Kurds believe their vote is essential to maintaining their majority.
Ismael Ahmad was one of those who were displaced to Erbil. In the last election, he voted in Erbil. “Now we are all ready to vote with our families. If the political parties say, we will go back to Kirkuk, we don’t mind. But if it is here, we prefer it, as it is better for us,” he told Rudaw on Saturday.
Three members of Iraq’s parliament representing Arab and Turkmen communities have called for a weeklong postponement of the election in Kirkuk city, saying they were concerned about Kurdish Peshmerga returning to the city. The Peshmerga denied there is a plan for Kurdish deployment to the city, and accused the MPs of trying to stir up voters.
The displacement in 2017 was not the first wave of migration out of Kirkuk. In the 1980s, during the former Baath regime’s genocidal campaign against Kurds, many Kurdish families fled to Erbil and other provinces, deeper into Kurdistan Region territory. Some families have remained in Erbil, but they return to Kirkuk every election.
“In 1986 we were displaced just because we were Kurds. We vote at Pirde (Altun Kupri) which is part of Kirkuk, and our vote is for Kurds certainly,” Mahdi Zryan told Rudaw.
According to Iraq’s directorate of migration Erbil office, in 2017, around 7,000 families from Kirkuk were displaced to Erbil. Around 5,000 of them have since returned home. Another around 8,000 families were displaced to Erbil in 1986 and still remain.
The election commission issued biometric voting cards for displaced voters who brought documentation of their status. “Now there are around 25,200 displaced voters in Erbil who are allowed to vote on October 8, two days ahead of elections in Erbil, but their vote will count for their own provinces,” Botan Sherko Jaff from the electoral commission office in Erbil told Rudaw.
Kirkuk province is divided into three constituencies with a combined 12 seats up for grab. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which for years has gained the most votes in the province, is running seven candidates as part of the Kurdistan Coalition with Gorran. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) did not run in the province in the last election, but this year is fielding two candidates.
At least 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections next month, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
Additional reporting by Farhad Dolamari