Kurdish American running for Republican party in upcoming primary elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A Kurdish man in the United States has been nominated as a candidate for the Republican Party Delegate at Large in the upcoming Presidential Primary elections.

Nazar Sharanshi, 44, will be among a few politicians who people can vote to represent their state in the general elections later this year.

Sharanshi was born in the Kurdistan Region’s city of Zakho. He moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1996.

Since then, he has opened his own business and been involved in local politics, including the George W. Bush campaign in Tennessee in 2004.

The 44-year-old is also the founder of the Kurdish Republican Party and a member of the Tennessee Kurdish Community Council.

“I hope to encourage the Kurdish youth to get involved in politics and to run for positions within the government,” Sharanshi told Kurdistan 24. “It is our duty as Americans to do so, but especially as Kurds, we need to build a reputation of being educated and politically involved.”

Sharanshi hopes his nomination in the primary election raises awareness of Kurds in governmental positions in the US but also encourages the Kurdish community “to go out and vote and make our voices heard.”

Early voting for the Presidential Primary polls opened on Feb. 12 and will continue until Feb. 25. The Presidential Primary election date is March 3, 2020.

The primary polls allow people to vote in a state election for the person they want to represent them in the general elections, which are expected to be held on Nov. 3, 2020.

“Our government needs people like us to represent our country. We are not only representatives of the United States, but of Kurdistan as well,” Sharanshi stated.

“We need to make connections in order to further improve our Kurdish community.”