Achieving people of Kurdistan’s dreams requires unified voice in Baghdad, Kurdish parties stress

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Many Kurdish political parties running in the May 12 parliamentary elections have warned the central government that the Iraqi Constitution must be fully implemented or the Kurds will use the results of the independence referendum as a tool to pressure Baghdad to guarantee their rights.

In 2005, the Iraqi Constitution, consisting of 144 articles, was approved in a referendum and later by Parliament. Fifty-five of the items are related to the Kurdistan Region. The most important to the Kurds are Articles 140 and 132, none of which have been implemented thus far.

Article 140 relates to the status of disputed areas between Erbil and Baghdad, and Article 132 is about compensation for the people of Kurdistan affected by the dictatorship of the former Iraqi regime.

“If the central government does not apply the Articles in the Constitution related to the Kurds, then the only choice for the Kurdistan Region would be to use the people’s vote in the independence referendum” as pressure to demand their rights, Tanya Tahir, a candidate for the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, told Kurdistan 24.

The Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum on Sep. 25, 2017, with an overwhelming majority voting for independence from Iraq.

The legality of the vote was rejected by the central government and ties immediately deteriorated between Erbil and Baghdad. Following a series of meetings on either side, relations have gradually begun to improve.

Momen Zellmi, a member of the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ), said the Kurds must cooperate strategically to “preserve their standing in Iraq,” then work to gain independence.

“This can be achieved by our [Kurdish] parties cooperating strategically. Through this unity, we can strengthen our foundation and turn governance in the region into a just rule and work to obtain independence for Kurdistan,” he said.

Mustafa Abdulla, a member of the Kurdistan Islamic Union party, said if Kurds are united, then their position in Baghdad would become stronger, noting that “the formation of the next government requires the participation of the Kurds.”

In a meeting with British officials on Sunday, Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani also highlighted the importance of unity among the people of Kurdistan especially on matters related to their rights and the implementation of the Iraqi Constitution.

“We will work so that Kurds will go to Baghdad with a single stance to obtain the rights of the people of Kurdistan, and the implementation of the Constitution, especially Articles 140 and 132,” he stated.

The KRSC Chancellor is also a member of the political bureau for the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany