Turnout in Kurdistan referendum 72.16 percent: Commission

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – In a press conference on Tuesday, the Kurdistan Region’s Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC) confirmed the turnout for Monday’s referendum was 72.16 percent.

Shirwan Zirar, the spokesperson for IHERC, said that 4,581,255 people were eligible to vote in the Kurdistan Region’s referendum.

“Out of this number, 3,305,925 people cast their vote, amounting to 72.16 percent,” Zirar added.

He also mentioned that the number of displaced voters from disputed territories who voted in camps in the Kurdistan Region came up to 497,190.

Regarding the number of the Diaspora voters, Zirar noted no official data was available to measure how many were eligible to vote but that 98,945 people registered and cast their votes in the referendum.

Zirar said that the IHERC would announce the final result of the referendum within 72 hours.

On Monday, the people of the Kurdistan Region voted whether to remain part of Iraq or secede as a newly-established state. The ‘Yes’ vote is expected to win by a clear majority.

Thousands of observers monitored the process, with 140 of them who came from abroad.

An independent state of Kurdistan has been the long-awaited aspiration of over 40 million stateless Kurds around the world.

The Kurdistan Region’s leadership has emphasized a ‘Yes’ vote win does not lead to an automatic and immediate declaration of the Kurdistan Region’s independence following the vote. Rather, it provides the Kurdish leadership a mandate to engage in serious dialogue and peaceful negotiations with Baghdad for an amicable divorce.

Editing by G.H. Renaud