Diaspora Kurds to participate in Kurdistan referendum via e-voting: Commission

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – On Friday, the Kurdistan Region's Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission (IHERC) approved the use of an electronic voting system for the people of the Kurdistan Region currently living abroad to participate in the referendum on independence scheduled for Sep. 25, 2017.

In a statement to Kurdistan 24, the spokesperson for the IHERC, Shirwan Zirar, explained citizens of the Kurdistan Region in the diaspora could register online through a special website, submitting their names and the required files and documents from Sep. 1 until Sep. 7.

Following their registration, applicants will receive a code by email, allowing individuals to vote electronically on Sep. 25. “The code can only be used on Sep. 25 and only once.”

A large proportion of the Kurds live abroad, namely in Europe, the US, and Canada. Many of them are from the Kurdistan Region while the rest are from the other parts of the Greater Kurdistan, which includes Turkey, Syria, and Iran.

Through their local community leaders and organizations, the Kurdish people in the diaspora have repeatedly called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to allow them to participate in the “historic moment” and vote in the referendum.

The establishment of a Kurdish state has been a long-awaited dream for over 40 million Kurds across the globe. Kurds have been labeled the largest stateless ethnic group in the world.

Kurdish officials have insisted on holding the referendum, stating the people of the Kurdistan Region have the right to peacefully and democratically decide on their future.

Kurdish communities have planned to hold several festivals in support of the referendum, such as the upcoming Aug. 13 festival in the state of Tennessee in the US, the Aug. 26 one in Germany’s Cologne, and the scheduled Sep. 16 event in Sweden.

Editing by G.H. Renaud