Kirkuk - Despite competition between Kurdish political lists, Arabic and Turkmen lists, Kirkuk didn’t face major bomb attacks. All Kurdish lists in Kirkuk maintain that the disputed city of Kirkuk is a part of Kurdistan and promise changes. It’s likely Kurds will win the majority of seats. “All parties believe Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan,” says Change list candidate Ali Askeri.
Middle-East expert Gareth Jenkins says it will be more difficult for the Kurds to push the inclusion of Kirkuk in Kurdistan, if they fail to win an overwhelming majority in Kirkuk. But he notes that this doesn’t mean Baghdad will allow the Kurds to takeover Kirkuk.
The Kurds want the implementation of article 140, which proposes a referendum on disputed provinces like Kirkuk, to decided whether to become part of the Kurdistan Region or the administration of Baghdad. The Iraqi governments managed to continually postpone the census and referendum.
”Special status of Kirkuk within Kurdistan”
The personal physician of the Iraqi president Talabani, Rajmaldin Karim, is the number one candidate for the Kurdistan Alliance, an alliance between Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Massoud Barzani,wwthe Kurdishw.ekurd.netthe Kurdish president. He promises the people of Kirkuk to bring more reconstruction, services and business to Kirkuk. “I have a program for a special status of Kirkuk within the Kurdistan region”.
Last Thursday his supporters rallied in a big hall, dancing on Kurdish music and waving green flags of the PUK, while supporters of the Change list (Gorran) drove around Kirkuk with blue Gorran flags and beeping cars. Also there were other car ‘carnivals’ by supporters of a Turkmen list.
Kurds claim Arab and Turkmen support
Both Kurdish lists, the Change list and the Kurdistan Alliance, say they also get support from Turkmen and Arabs. “I think Arabs and Turkmen that read our program are supportive of our ideas and they want to continue living in the miserable situation they are in now,” says Karim. The Change list claims they also got support from other ethnicities in Kirkuk. Mam Rostam, one of the campaign leaders of Change in Kirkuk said he has received many support from Turkmen.
But Kurdish editor Ako Mohammed from Rudaw says its unlikely that Turkmen or Arabs will support Kurdish lists. Turkmens living in the streets of Kirkuk often say they support the Iraqi National Movement of Iyad Allawi. “I support Allawi because he is good for the whole of Iraq,” Turkmen Ali Mustafa says. Hassan Aydinli of the Iraqi Turkmen front (ITF) in Europe says the ITF is in an alliance with Allawi’s list in cities like Kirkuk.
Al Jazeera reports that Sunni Arabs are planning to participate to oppose the Kurdish aim to add Kirkuk to the three Kurdish provinces administrated by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
”Life is nothing here”
Kurds in Kirkuk can choose between Gorran and the Kurdistan Alliance. Some Kurds say they are reluctant to support any lists, because they say the political parties haven’t done anything for the city. “Look at the streets, do you see how bad it is? Life is nothing here”, a Kurd said. Others think Rajmadin Karim is a good candidate. “He is an American Kurd and will bring business and will make new streets in Kirkuk. He is a good candidate,” says a Kurdish shopkeeper. “Gorran just makes advertisement, nothing more.”
But Ali Askari says the PUK, which is part of the Iraqi government, is to blame for the lack of health and education services in Kirkuk. “The schools were ruined by the two parties [KDP and PUK]”. He adds: “What did they do all those years for Kirkuk? Nothing. Najmadin Karim wants to be the next foreign minister. He is a rich millionaire in the USA, but with his hospitals he never helped the people of Kirkuk.” Rizgar Ali, the Kurdish chair of Kirkuk's provincial council, is also a member of the PUK, but PUK-candidate Karim says Baghdad is to blame.
Still Gorran doesn’t expect the majority of the Kirkukis to vote for the Change list. “We are a new movement and voters are intimidated by the ruling Kurdish parties,” says Askeri. The opposition candidate says people could lose their jobs for voting for the Change movement, because the institutions are controlled by the political parties.
Majority of seats for Kurds
Analysts expect the Kurds to win the majority of the province’s 12 parliamentary seats, despite opposition of Turkmen and Arabs. According to a poll of Rudaw, 8 of the 12 seats will go to the Kurds. Ali Askari of the Change list thinks his list will get 2-3 seats, while the PUK expects to get the majority of the seats. Director of the Gelli Kurdistan TV of PUK in Kirkuk, Zahar Sukr, says the PUK is a strong list and will get 4 of the 7/8 Kurdish seats, while Gorran might get one seat.
© Rudaw
