Iraq set to choose President

Kurds vote for new parliament

BAGHDAD, Sept 30, (Agencies): The Iraqi parliament will be tasked on Monday to choose the President of the country amongst 24 nominees for the post.

While the task is of great importance, what makes it very difficult is that the current status quo of the Kurdish alliance make it very difficult to choose a sole candidate for the Presidential post.

The voting was supposed to take place on Tuesday; however, a decision was made to organize it on Monday to avoid a lack of quorum.

The candidates most likely to win the vote are Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Barham Salih and Fuad Hussein of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Fuad Hussein.

Both candidates are well known within Iraqi political and parliamentary circles, but this Kurdish split in nomination might lead to a state of confusion when comes to voting and perhaps they might face some competition from other groups within parliament vying for the presidency post.

Kurdish affairs expert Saman Nouh told KUNA that the PUK and KDP had alliance in the past, but both parties in recent year seem to work for own interests.

Since the KDP lost its leader Jalal Talabani recently and some members were abandoning ship, it looks like their chances to win the Presidency is slim, said Nouh.

He added that while the Kurds are seemingly arguing with themselves, it would be interesting to know whom the Shite MPs are supporting.

Major Shite blocs in parliament might vote for PUK’s Salih, but it remains uncertain whether all of them are on the same page, said the expert.

While the parliamentary conundrum is carrying on, Iraq top state officials such as Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi stressed that the winning candidate must put

the interests of Iraq upfront and focused on serving all Iraqis.

The Iraqi constitution requires the candidate to get two-thirds of the votes of deputies in the first round of elections and if not possible to move to a second round enough to win with any number of votes to take office.

One of the dominant Kurdish parties in northern Iraq said it would not recognise the results of Sunday’s parliamentary election, injecting political uncertainty into a region still demoralised by a failed independence bid.

The PUK said its decision to ignore the results, which have yet to be announced, was based on what it described as fraud in the voting process.

The PUK is competing with its long-time rival the KDP in the election as discontent grows with perceived corruption and economic hardship.

With a weak opposition, the political dynasties were expected to extend their power-sharing arrangement in the land of six million people, which gained semi-autonomous status after the 1991 Gulf War.

Veteran KDP leader Masoud Barzani has managed to retain a support base even though he led an independence bid that brought humilition and hardship for the Kurds after military and economic retaliation from Baghdad.

Splits within the PUK could give the KDP an upper hand in their power-sharing arrangement, which has been fraught with tensions.

While criticism of the ruling Kurdish establishment – dominated for decades by the Barzani and the Talabani families – has grown more vocal, a weak opposition means many voters may stick to traditional leaders.

“I don’t know who I will vote for, but our family has always supported the KDP. My son will pick a candidate for me,” said Halima Ahmed, 65, as she walked with a cane in the city of Erbil, the seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Preliminary results are expected within 72 hours. There are 111 seats being contested in the election, including 11 reserved for ethnic minorities.

At midday the Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission said turnout was 16-23 percent in a breakdown of provinces. At the Chenar School for Girls polling centre, turnout by 1500 local time (1200 GMT) was less than 35 percent, said poll worker Shaaban Kazem.

“The participation rate is very weak,” said lawyer and independent observer Belnd Omar.

The number of voters has shrunk in recent elections as the region’s stagnant politics, unpaid public sector salaries and corruption have undermined the population’s faith in politics.

Observers from two opposition parties said that some people tried to use fake identification to vote but were stopped, though this could not be verified independently by Reuters.

Kurdish opposition parties did poorly when Iraq held federal elections in May. But multiple allegations that the KDP and PUK had committed election fraud – not confirmed in a subsequent recount – may sway some voters in their favour.

Gorran, the main opposition movement, has been weakened by infighting and the death of its founder and leader Nechirvan Mustafa last year.

“I wanted to make sure I voted early. I gave my vote to Gorran and hope for the best,” said Omar Mahmoud Abdullah, 52, at a polling station set up at Shireen School in Sulaimaniya, stronghold of the PUK.

At another polling station in Sulaimaniya, lawyer Hassan Dalloush, 65, also said he was voting for the opposition.

“If there’s no fraud in this election, I’ll feel good about it. But the parties in power always want to commit fraud, it’s the only way they stay in power,” he said. “I will never vote for the parties in power. Today I voted for the opposition.”