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| Iraq |
| Party said to be close to PKK barred from Iraq polls |
| 2009-06-04 |
| [Beirut Daily Star: Region] A party said to be close to Kurdish rebels in Turkey has been barred from contesting next month's polls in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, the election commission and the party said on Tuesday. "Judicial authorities in Baghdad informed us that they have banned the Al-Amal list from participating in the elections" on July 25, said Ali Qader, the head of the regional electoral commission in Kurdistan. "Our list was banned for political reasons," said Najiba Omar, who heads the Al-Amal (Hope) list. The list is dominated by the Al-Hal party, seen as close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which took up arms for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast in 1984, triggering a conflict that has claimed some 44,000 lives. "Our list is independent and Al-Hal has participated in elections twice before" in Kurdistan, Omar insisted, adding that the grouping would appeal the decision. The PKK is viewed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Ankara has long accused Iraqi Kurds of aiding the PKK but during a visit to Baghdad by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in March, his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani - himself a Kurd - warned the rebels based in its northern mountains to lay down their guns or leave the country. Kurdistan's 2.5 million eligible voters will elect a Parliament and a president next month, six months after provincial polls were held in most of the rest of Iraq, the first vote in the country since 2005. Six candidates have registered to contest the presidency, including incumbent Massoud Barzani, while 40 political entities have registered to contest the 111 seats in the assembly. The vote will also mark the first time the president of Kurdistan will be elected by popular vote. In 2005, Barzani was elected by the local Parliament. |
| Posted by:Fred |