Yazidi prince urges participation in provincial council elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Mir (Prince) of the Yazidis, Hazim Tahsin Beg, in a presser on Sunday urged Yazidis to participate in the provincial council elections so that they may have as many representatives as possible and defend their rights.

“The Yazidis have been living in camps for nine years, and their participation in the elections will bring them prosperity and change,” the prince added.

As the Mir, Tahsin Beg is the highest political and religious authority of the entire community.

However, Tahsin Beg’s legitimacy as prince has been a source of contention in Sinjar since he was appointed in 2019 after his father, the previous prince, died. The rival Sinjar Resistance Units (YBS), affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), refuses to acknowledge his legitimacy.

On Saturday, “special” voters, including lawmakers, police officers, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and military personnel, voted in early balloting.

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) stated that more than 706,000 out of 1.05 million eligible voters throughout Iraq turned out on Saturday.

Among the notable statistics provided, the disputed territories, or areas claimed by both Baghdad and Erbil, recorded higher than average turnouts across the country, with 75% turnout for Nineveh Province, 70% for Kirkuk Province, and 78% for Diyala Province.

More than a million special voters were eligible to cast their votes throughout Iraq on Saturday. The voting period open to all Iraqi citizens begins on Monday, Dec. 18.

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq