While Iraqi Kurds in the semi-autonomous north headed to the polls, thousands of others living abroad were not eligible to vote.
Critics have complained that their exclusion means that the polls are not representative of the wider community. Al Jazeera’s Nadim Baba reports from London.
SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan region ‘Iraq’, — Time for “Change” for Iraq’s Kurds? A new, independent candidate is taking up the slogan to woo Iraqi Kurds disenchanted over the two-party political divide in their oil-rich semiautonomous region in northern Iraq.
Nawshirwan Mustafa, a former deputy leader and co-founder of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, says he plans to head a political group of independents called “Change” in the region’s upcoming parliamentary elections. He left Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party (PUK) in December 2006.
Tired of the Kurdish two-party dominance and unable to push through reforms within the PUK, Mustafa told The Associated Press he wants to draw in those unhappy with the current political struggle.
“The old politicians and the dominating traditional parties are not interested in making change in Kurdistan,” Mustafa said. “They want to keep things as they are.”
“We want to change this political system,” said Mustafa, adding he would campaign on promises to battle corruption and improve the lives of the region’s population.
A date for the parliamentary elections has not been set, but the vote — the first in the territory since 2005 — is expected to be held by mid-July. There are about 2.5 million registered voters, according to the electoral commission.
Mustafa is among a wave of independent Iraqi politicians trying to break the hold of religious parties and other traditional power brokers in Iraq by tapping into frustration felt by Kurds and many Iraqis over perceived failures of the current administrations.
The trend was evident in the Jan. 31 provincial elections held in areas outside the semiautonomous Kurdistan region in the north. The hopefuls had mixed results.
Youssef al-Haboubi, who ran as a single candidate rather than on a party ticket with multiple candidates in Karbala, won the most votes but failed to gain the governorship.
Instead, other parties formed an alliance and chose a member of the group loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Al-Haboubi said he would work to improve services from his post as second deputy to the governor.
Salah al-Rekhayis, one of an estimated 2 million Iraqis with African roots, also ran in the southern province of Basra, calling himself the “Iraqi Obama.”
He was so impressed with President Barack Obama’s campaign and victory that he created a small party called the Movement of Free Iraqis and ran under its banner. He lost but his group has already created a list of potential black candidates to run in the next Iraqi elections.
The vote for a new 111-seat Kurdish National Assembly comes amid increased infighting among the ethnic minority as the political landscape shifts in Iraq ahead of the expected withdrawal of U.S. forces by the end of 2011.
Kurds did not go to the polls to choose provincial councils on Jan. 31 because of the need for a separate election law for their semiautonomous region. For that, they need a new parliament.
The Kurds separated from the rest of Iraq after rising up against Saddam Hussein in 1991, aided by a U.S.-British no-fly zone that helped keep the dictator at bay.
PUK is one of the two main parties dominating the regional government, along with the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP). The two parties are also thought to pull all the strings in the region’s daily affairs, including businesses and commerce.
Mustafa broke away three years ago. Other senior PUK officials followed suit more recently, citing anger over corruption, a lack of financial transparency and private militias maintained by some members.
Senior PUK member Saadi Ahmed Pera expressed confidence that Kurds would vote for the established parties.
“The people of Kurdistan are very smart and will never risk their future by voting for new lists. The people trust the Kurdish leaders and parties who have carried out many reforms over the past years,” he said, calling on the groups to join forces against corruption.
But whether Mustafa — a 65-year-old who had stood by Talabani for 40 years — can draw enough votes to become a power-broker in the assembly remains to be seen.
“The two parties are controlling the police and media and we fear that this my affect the elections,” Mustafa said. “But we think that the will of the people will prevail in the end.”
Some Iraqi Kurds believe that Mustafa — who is popular both for his frankness and personal wealth — will add weight to the independents’ bloc.
“There will be strong competition,” said Reben Herdi, 43. “The region will witness a real election that will enable the voters to make a choice.”
Others, such as 36-year-old attorney Othman Ahmed, believe the Kurds’ “main problem is the absence of real opposition: both parties are partners in sharing the wealth and dividing the homeland.”
“I will not vote for those who are part of the government,” Ahmed said. “I will vote for new faces.”
The Kurds have long been at odds with Iraq’s central government over what the authorities in Baghdad see as their persistent attempts to project influence beyond the borders of their region and expand the boundaries of their authority.
The disputes have threatened to revive bitterness between Iraq’s Arab majority and the long-oppressed Kurdish minority and could also stoke tension and hinder national reconciliation.