People have voted in a landmark referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq – a move which has been criticised by foreign powers.
Polling took place in the three provinces that make up the region, as well as disputed areas claimed by the Kurds and the government in Baghdad.
Iraq’s prime minister denounced the referendum as “unconstitutional”.
Kurdish leaders said an expected “yes” vote would give them a mandate to start lengthy negotiations on secession.
Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East but they have never obtained a permanent nation state.
In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of repression before acquiring autonomy in 1991.
Voting in Monday’s referendum was open to some 5.2 million Kurds and non-Kurds aged 18 registered as resident in Kurdish-controlled areas. Turnout was 76% an hour before voting closed, the Kurdish Rudaw news agency reports.
“We have been waiting 100 years for this day,” one man queuing to vote at a school in the regional capital, Irbil, told Reuters news agency on Monday morning.
“We want to have a state, with God’s help. Today is a celebration for all Kurds.”
A historic moment
At polling stations here there was a sense of history in the making. Some began queuing last night. The Kurds say the referendum is an example of democracy in action. Instead of opposing them, they believe that Western powers should be giving them strong support.
A man in his 60s, in traditional dress, told us people had been counting the months, days and minutes until they could cast their ballots. “It is the proudest moment of my life,” he said.
Some came to vote carrying pictures of loved ones killed battling so-called Islamic State (IS).
“My husband’s blood wasn’t shed for nothing” said one woman, adding that her family had not slept for days, worrying that the referendum would be cancelled.
Whatever comes next this vote could reshape the Middle East. That’s just what neighbouring states – with their own Kurdish minorities – fear.
Not all Kurds were expected to vote “yes”, though.
The Change Movement (Gorran) and Kurdistan Islamic Group parties said they supported independence but objected to the timing and organisation of the referendum, while businessman Shaswar Abdulwahid Qadir launched a “No4Now” campaign because of the economic and political risks of secession.
And in the disputed city of Kirkuk, the local ethnic Arab and Turkmen communities called for a boycott. As voting ended on Monday night, a curfew was imposed on the city centre and non-Kurdish districts amid fears of unrest.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned on Sunday that the referendum “threatens Iraq, peaceful co-existence among Iraqis, and is a danger to the region”, and vowed to “take measures to safeguard the nation’s unity and protect all Iraqis”.
