Over ’92 Percent’ of Participants in Iraqi Kurdistan Independence Referendum Voted in Favor
The Supreme Referendum and Elections Commission of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq announced on Wednesday, September 26, that over 92 percent of eligible voters in this week’s referendum on the region’s independence from Iraq voted in favor.
Hendrin Muhammad, the head of the commission, stated that 92.73 percent of voters approved the referendum, and the participation rate of eligible voters was 72 percent.
At a press conference in Erbil, he announced that the number of referendum participants on Monday (September 24) was 3,305,925 people.
The referendum was held in the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region, as well as in some disputed areas between the region and the Iraqi government, and at some polling centers outside of Iraq.
The holding of this referendum drew the anger of Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, with Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, stating that he does not recognize it and calling for the results to be annulled.
However, on Wednesday in a session of the Iraqi Parliament, he ruled out the use of force against the Kurdistan Region and said he does not want war between Iraqi citizens.
On Wednesday, the Iraqi Parliament approved a 13-article plan stipulating that the Iraqi government should refrain from any negotiations with the Kurdistan Region until it announces the annulment of the referendum results from Monday.
The plan also asked Baghdad to bring those responsible for holding this referendum to trial, including Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region.
The Iraqi Parliament also authorized the Prime Minister to send military forces to Kirkuk and other disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil that are outside the Kurdistan Region and take control of them.
On the other hand, the Iraqi Army announced that it has sent a high-level delegation of military officials to Iran for military cooperation.
Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday that while the Iraqi Army’s announcement lacks details about the matter, it is believed to be part of retaliatory measures that the Iraqi government intends to pursue following the holding of the independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.
Iran and Turkey, which are opposed to the separation of the Kurdistan Region from Iraq, have stated that they do not recognize the referendum. The two countries conducted military maneuvers in recent days along their border with the Kurdistan Region, and Iran has also closed its airspace to the region.
Iraq, which sought to take control of the Kurdistan Region’s airports, after receiving a negative response from the region’s authorities, announced a similar ban on flights to Erbil airport.
Al-Abadi had previously warned that if control of the Kurdistan Region’s airports is not handed over to Baghdad, the city will ask neighboring countries to close their borders with the region and will ban international airplane flights over Kurdistan from Friday, a measure that received positive responses from Egypt and Lebanon.
These two countries announced that from Friday they will suspend their flights to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.
On the other hand, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also threatened to impose strict sanctions against the Kurdistan Region, warning that the people of the Kurdistan Region will starve.
Previously, the United States also opposed holding the independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan, saying that this development would lead to further instability in the region.
Source: Radio Farda
