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An Iraqi Kurdish man shows his ink-stained finger after voting in the Kurdish independence referendum in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on September 25, 2017.
Important News
Voting started on Monday in an independence referendum organized by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, despite regional and international fears that it would stoke instability and violence across the Middle East.
France 24, 25 September 2017 - Polling stations opened their doors at 8:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and should close at 6:00 p.m. The final results should be announced within 72 hours.
The vote, expected to deliver a comfortable “yes” for independence, is not binding and is meant to give Massoud Barzani’s KRG a mandate to negotiate secession of the oil-producing region with Baghdad and the neighboring states
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“We have been waiting 100 years for this day,” said Rizgar, standing in a queue of men waiting to cast a ballot in a school in Erbil, the KRG capital.
“We want to have a state, with God’s help. Today is a celebration for all Kurds. God willing, we will say yes, yes to dear Kurdistan.”
The vote, initiated by veteran leader Barzani, has angered not only the federal government but also neighboring Turkey and Iran, concerned it could stoke separatist aspirations among their own sizeable Kurdish minorities.
Iraqi Kurds celebrate while urging people to vote in the upcoming independence referendum in Arbil.
Polling stations are scattered across the three northern provinces of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil, Sulaimaniyah, and Dohuk, as well as in disputed bordering zones such as the oil-rich province of Kirkuk.
As Barzani pledged on Sunday to go ahead with the historic referendum after having resisted a barrage of international pressure to call it off, Iraq's leader pledged to take all the 'necessary measures' to protect the country's unity and his government targeted the Kurds' oil sales.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that taking the Kurds' unilateral decision to stage a referendum affected both Iraqi and regional security, and was 'unconstitutional and against civil peace'.
'We will take the necessary measures to preserve the unity of the country,' he said, without elaborating.
Hours later, the Iraqi government at a meeting of its security cabinet called on all countries 'to deal only with it on matters of oil and borders'.
The Iraqi Kurds export an average 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) through a pipeline running through Turkey to Ceyhan on the Mediterranean.
Tehran also upped the pressure on Sunday, saying it had blocked all flights to and from Iraqi Kurdistan at Baghdad's request.
Iraqi Kurds fly Kurdish flags during an event to urge people to vote in the upcoming independence referendum in Arbil,
Washington and many Western states had opposed the vote, saying it would hamper the fight against the Islamic State jihadist group in which cooperation between Baghdad and the Kurds has been key.
But Barzani said the Kurds' 'partnership with Baghdad' since the ousted of dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 US-led invasion had failed and urged his people to turn out and vote.
'We expect reactions from one side or another but we are convinced that whatever the risk and the price, it's better than waiting for a dark outcome,' he said.
'The referendum is not for defining borders or imposing a fait accompli. We want a dialogue with Baghdad to resolve the problems, and the dialogue can last one or two years,' Barzani said of zones such as Kirkuk.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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