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Kurdistan must win in the coming elections

• KurdishMedia.com - By Dr Salah Aziz
• 08/02/2009 00:00:00

The elections for the 14 provincial councils in Iraq on January 31, 2009 were an exercise in successful democracy, because of the large number of political groups and individuals who participated and the relatively peaceful environment surrounding the elections. Based on published data by The Independent High Electoral Commission, 14800 candidates representing 401 groups contested for 440 provisional seats. The Iraqi elections had a modest but commendable 51/% voter turnout. Overall, despite some minor setbacks, the Iraqi Provincial Elections witnessed a real emergence of democracy in Iraq.

Democracy is a new concept in Iraq, but not in Kurdistan. Democracy has been the slogan of traditional Kurdish political parties for over 60 years. Kurds initiated an elections process in 1992 and elected their representatives to the Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA). However, despite the long history and early successes, many internal and external events have slowed down the progression of democracy in Kurdistan. The success of new elections in the rest of Iraq sets the bar higher for the Kurds, raising expectations and requiring a renewed commitment by the Kurds to continue being the forefathers and frontrunners of democracy in the region.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and KNA should take decisive and strong action preceding and during the coming elections in Kurdistan, to fulfill their promises to the Kurdish people and to maintain the respect and admiration of the region and the world. KRG and KNA will achieve this by encouraging the public to vote; simplifying the registration procedures for political groups and individuals to compete in the elections; applying a more transparent system in protecting the ballot boxes and counting the votes, and accepting irrefutably the results of the votes.

Driven by nationalistic pride, and the experience of being the first democratic people in the country, the Kurdish population had the largest (over 80%) turnout in the 2005 elections throughout Iraq. Kurds were driven by the hope that a new era of democracy would come and that those who had been elected would begin working on behalf of the people who elected them. Such high turnout benefited the Kurdish parties in the election, providing 57 seats to Kurds in the Iraqi National Assembly. However, the people were disappointed: their expectations of democracy and change were shortchanged, falling far below what the people believed possible in this new age. Sadly, party-centric administrations and corruption have dominated the last years. Disappointment and disenfranchisement are rampant throughout Kurdistan, and it is expected that fewer Kurds will come out to vote in the upcoming elections. If that happens, Kurdistan will lose. Therefore, KRG must immediately begin taking initiatives to encourage the people they represent to continue their all-important role in the election process. One of the best ways to do this is to allow more voices and opinions to be heard, by enabling more political groups and individuals in Kurdistan to run for the provincial, KNA and National seats.

The Independent High Electoral Commission is the highest Commission in Iraq and therefore the Regional Office should implement the laws and procedures issued by the Commission. It organized the recent elections based on several laws issued in 2008, including Law 5 for 2008. This Law legislates the registering of new political entities. To register a new political entity, the signatures of 500 Iraqi citizens are needed to support the new entity and a deposit of 5,000,000 Iraqi dinars. These policies are blatantly exclusionist in Kurdistan, and KRG must act quickly to lower the conditions (for provincial and KNA seats) and make it easier for new political groups and individuals to register. Maintaining a stagnant political environment stifles democratic progress and change for a better. This does not promote a democratic system in Kurdistan nor will it attract the public to be involved in the coming elections.

KRG must initiate procedures to maintain transparency and neutrality in the coming elections. Therefore, KRG must cooperate with and engage all political parties, professional unions and syndicates, individuals and newly-formed political groups, media and civil society organizations in the processes leading to the elections. KRG must punish any force that try to threat political entities and people from participating in the elections and supporting a specific group. Further, KRG must benefit from the lessons learned during the Iraqi Provincial Elections in January by protecting the voters and ballot boxes; providing accessibility to all media to cover the election, and enable civil society organizations to educate people and monitor the elections. Such actions will reaffirm the Kurdish Regional Government’s sincerity and commitment to promoting free and fair elections.

One of the main central concepts in a free and fair democratic election is to respect the outcome of the elections. Although it is nearly a foregone conclusion that the current ruling parties in Kurdistan will win the majority of votes in the coming elections, the challenge is for these same ruling parties to accept that the elections may bring other political parties into the governing arena. The experience of developing countries in central Asia and Africa shows that the ruling party or parties generally will only accept the elections’ outcomes if they win. However, democracy is about enforcing the will of the people, and not those in power. No meaningful democracy can exist unless the government serves its people, and their interests. I expect KRG to become a model for the peaceful transition of power, if and when the Kurdish people decide.

In addition to our friends in Europe and the United States, history will record how much Kurdish authority promoted democracy through free and fair elections and respected the choice of the Kurdish people. In the recent elections in Iraq, Prime Minister al-Maliki was congratulated by the World leaders for conducting peaceful and successful elections. Now all eyes are on Kurdistan, to see if we can match or exceed Iraqi success.

• KurdishMedia.com - By Dr Salah Aziz
• 08/02/2009 00:00:00