Iraqi Kurds head to polls amid disillusionment, calls for change
Voters in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament, but many expressed deep frustration with the political status quo, casting doubt on the potential for real change.
Voters in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region headed to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament, but many expressed deep frustration with the political status quo, casting doubt on the potential for real change.
Despite its image as a relatively stable and oil-rich region in the Middle East, Iraqi Kurdistan struggles with the same issues that plague the rest of Iraq: corruption, political repression, and entrenched cronyism.
The election, delayed four times due to disagreements between the region’s two dominant parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has done little to restore public faith. Each party is controlled by a powerful Kurdish family—the Barzanis dominate the KDP, while the Talabanis control the PUK. Despite these long-established power dynamics, there is rising dissatisfaction, especially as the region continues to grapple with economic woes.
“I am against this government,” said Dilman Sharif, a 47-year-old civil servant in the PUK stronghold of Sulaimaniyah. “I urge everyone to mobilize and vote against this regime.”
Opposition parties like New Generation and a movement led by Lahur Sheikh Jangi, a dissident from the Talabani clan, are poised to gain from protest votes, according to political commentators like Sarteep Jawhar, a PUK dissident himself.
As polls opened early Sunday morning, voters trickled into more than 1,200 polling stations across the region. However, political analysts remain skeptical about any major shifts in power. Shivan Fazil, a researcher at Boston University, noted that while there is “growing fatigue with the region’s two ruling parties,” the KDP is likely to maintain its majority, aided by its “internal discipline and cohesion.”
Voter turnout, historically low at 59% in the last regional elections, could be impacted by widespread cynicism. Teacher Sazan Saduala, 55, voiced a sentiment shared by many. “This government cannot be changed by voting,” she said. “It maintains its power through force and money.”
Despite these challenges, the election is viewed by some, including United Nations special representative Mohamed al-Hassan, as an opportunity to “reinvigorate democracy” in the region. But for many in Iraqi Kurdistan, hope for significant political change remains elusive.