Independence referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan - was held on September 25, 2017 in the territories included in the autonomy of Iraqi Kurdistan , as well as some other regions controlled by Erbil , in particular, in the oil province of Kirkuk [1] . It was originally planned to be held in 2014, but against the backdrop of contradictions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq, it was postponed (an unofficial referendum was held in 2014). The Kurds' new impulses in favor of independence were the IS invasion of northern Iraq; Iraqi Armed Forces soldiers left some areas that were then occupied by the Peshmerga and were actually controlled by Kurdish forces.
| Independence referendum Iraqi Kurdistan September 25, 2017 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| date of | September 25, 2017 |
| A place |  Kurdistan |
| Voting system | By majority of votes |
In the period from 2014-2017. The referendum was announced several times and also postponed several times, as Kurdish forces collaborated with the Iraqi central government in the liberation of Mosul. On June 7, 2017, the President of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masoud Barzani , met with representatives of the Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Islamic Union of Kurdistan (KIU), the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan (KIM), the Communist Party of Kurdistan , the Workers Party of Kurdistan, and the Party workers and workers of Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Development and Reform Party, the Erbil Turkmen List, the Iraqi Turkmen Front, the Turkmenistan Development Party, the Armenian List in the Kurdistan Parliament, the Assyrian Demo Kratic movement and the Assyrian-Chaldean People’s Council , where the independence referendum was confirmed and scheduled for September 25, 2017 [2] .
Content
Background
In January 2014, the central government of Maliki began to retain funding for the Kurdistan Regional Government, the KRG began to search for alternative sources of financing and began trying to export oil through the northern pipeline to Turkey, but the Iraqi government began to put pressure on oil importing countries. The Kurds accused Malika’s policies of being destructive for the country and leading to its split.
Following an ISIS attack in western and northern Iraq, government forces left their positions. Peshmerga intervened in this vacuum, taking control of the city of Kirkuk and a number of settlements in the northern part of the country.
The government of Nuri al-Maliki was widely accused of the failure of the security forces in Mosul and others, the dissatisfaction of the Sunni Arab population with the central government was also growing, and international and domestic calls for the appointment of a new prime minister were widespread. On July 1, Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani announced his intention to hold an independence referendum in 2014 on the grounds that the country was "virtually divided."
In September 2014, after Maliki was replaced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Kurdish leaders agreed to postpone the referendum, focusing on fighting ISIS.
On February 3, 2016, Rudaw.net reported that Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani told KRG lawmakers that a tentative date for the referendum is scheduled for fall 2016. However, at the end of October, Iraqi Prime Minister Kurdistan Nechervan Barzani confirmed that there would be no referendum until Mosul was released.
In early April 2017, when the liberation of Mosul became a reality, the ruling political parties of Iraqi Kurdistan - the KDP and the PUK - announced that a referendum would be held this year.
On June 7, 2017, President of Kurdistan Masoud Barzani announced that the referendum would be held on September 25, 2017 [2] .
2005 Unofficial Referendum
In January 2005 , along with the Iraqi parliamentary elections and the Iraqi elections in Kurdistan in 2005, an informal referendum was held asking the people of Iraqi Kurdistan whether they would prefer to remain part of Iraq or gain independence.
The result was the vast majority - out of 98.8% in favor of independent Kurdistan. On December 22, 2004, a non-partisan delegation led by the President of the Kurdish Society for American Education, Ardishir Rashidi-Kalhur, met with the head of the Electoral Assistance Division and UN staff, Ms. Karina Pirelli, at the organization’s headquarters in New York to transfer 1,732 535 signatures that were collected, endorsing the call for a referendum on independence of Southern Kurdistan.
| Region | YES | % | NO | % | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirkuk | 131 274 | 99.88 | 181 | 0.12 | 131,582 |
| Nineveh | 165,780 | 99.93 | 111 | 0,07 | 165 891 |
| Diyala | 35,786 | 98.28 | 627 | 1.72 | 36,413 |
| Sulaymaniyah | 650,000 | 99.12 | 5796 | 0.88 | 656,496 |
| Erbil | 622,409 | 98.23 | 11,289 | 1.77 | 636 898 |
| Dohuk | 368 163 | 99.39 | 2247 | 0.61 | 370,781 |
| TOTAL | 1 973 412 | 98.88% | 20 251 | 1.12% | 1 998 061 |
Referendum Progress
On September 25, 2017 , a second referendum on independence from the central government in Baghdad was held in Iraqi Kurdistan. The question was formulated as follows: “Do you want the Kurdistan region and Kurdish lands outside the region to become an independent state?” [3]
Baghdad officials, as well as the governments of Iran and Turkey, reacted very nervously to the referendum. The central government of Iraq announced the closure of both international airports in autonomy - in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah . Both neighboring states, which have a large percentage of the Kurdish population in the border areas, also closed their airspace for flights in the direction of Iraqi Kurdistan - thus, autonomy was in complete blockade. Turkey also sent troops and tanks to the border areas [3] [4] .
Referendum Results
According to the results of the referendum announced on September 27 , 72% of the 8.4 million voters who had the right to vote took advantage of it. Of these, 92.73% voted in favor of the independence of Kurdistan [3] [4] .
Consequences
The Iraqi government on September 27 announced the non-recognition of the referendum. Moreover, it called its denunciation a necessary prerequisite for the start of any negotiations with Kurdistan. On the same day, the Iraqi parliament voted to provide Prime Minister Al-Abadi with the necessary powers to peacefully or forcefully liberate Kurdish-controlled areas outside the autonomy. First of all, we are talking about the oil-rich Kirkuk abandoned by Iraqi forces to the militants of the Islamic state in 2014 and later freed by Kurdish military units [3] [4] .
As of the evening of September 27, not a single state in the world recognized the independence of Kurdistan [4] .
On October 2, the Iraqi parliament adopted a resolution that obliges the country's ministries and government agencies to temporarily stop all financial operations with the Kurdish region [5] .
On October 7, Baghdad launched a blockade on Iraqi Kurdistan, banning financial operations and international air travel with the region. Iran and Turkey are also ready to join in the sanctions [6] .
On October 16, 2017, Kirkuk and the surrounding territory, oil fields by the Iraqi army and the Shiite militia were taken. Some Kurds surrendered the front by agreement, the text of the agreement was published.
Notes
- ↑ A referendum on the independence of Kurdish autonomy is being held in Kirkuk // RIA, Sep 25, 2017
- ↑ 1 2 Kurdistan.Ru. President Barzani called the June 7 meeting “historic” (June 8, 2017). Date of treatment September 8, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Bethan McKernan . Kurdistan referendum results: 93% of Iraqi Kurds vote for independence, say reports , Independent (September 27, 2017). Date of treatment September 28, 2017.
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Thierry Oberlé . Le Kurdistan seul au monde après son référendum (Fr.) , Le Figaro (27 septembre 2017). Date of treatment September 28, 2017.
- ↑ Punishment for referendum: Kurds in blockade // finovosti.ru , 4 Oct 2017
- ↑ The Foreign Ministry announced its readiness to cooperate with Iraqi Kurdistan // Gazeta.Ru , October 7, 2017
Links
- Zheltov M.V. A referendum on the independence of Iraqi Kurdistan - where dreams lead . InterIzbirkom. The analytical portal on the elections in the world (December 13, 2017). Date of treatment December 13, 2017.
- In Iraqi Kurdistan, an agitation campaign begins before the referendum on full state independence // RIA Novosti, September 5, 2017 [1]
- Iraqi Kurds supported the referendum on the independence of autonomy on September 25 // Kommersant. - 2017-12-08.
- Iraqi Kurdistan votes under artillery volleys // NG, Sep 25, 2017
- Over 90% of voters voted for Iraqi Kurdistan independence // RIA Novosti, Sep 26, 2017
- In the Kurdish referendum on independence, they see the beginning of a new war // Look , Sep 25, 2017
- Independence referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan threatens to blow up the Middle East // Kommersant , Sep 25, 2017
- “Middle East World War”: the main danger of a referendum in Kurdistan // RIA Novosti, Sep 26, 2017
- Kurds avenged dead Saddam at polling stations // Tape. Ru , Sep 27, 2017
- Efremenko D. On the Babylonian rivers. The Middle East world order is in a state of half-life. // Russia in global politics, 2017, May-June, vol. 15, No. 3. - p. 162-178y