Low participation in Sulaimaniya despite huge propaganda
Sulaimaniya-11-03-2010
Sulaimaniya came in the third place in the northern region regarding the participation percentage in the elections after Dohuk (Assyrian Nohadra) and Arbil (Assyrian Arba Eelo), despite the large propaganda and electoral campaign. Participation in Sulaimaniya registered 73%, while in Dohuk (Assyrian Nohadra) was 80% and in Arbil (Assyrian Arba Eelo) 76%.
“The low participation percentage in Sulaimaniya was a shock, as cities all over the world which witness big electoral campaigns and fierce competitions witness large participation,” Asous Hirdi, director of an independent media institution, said, ruling out that this percentage is due to forging cases and interference from other bodies.“What happened in Sulaimaniya in the recent parliamentary elections is similar to the last elections held in July 2008,” he said.“Most analysts expected that Sulaimaniya will be the first province regarding the participation percentage,” he added. Although he considered the percentage as “relatively good”.
Official spokesman for al-Tagheer (Change) movement, Mohammad Tawfiq, said that “the reason behind the low participation compared to Dohuk (Assyrian Nohadra) and Arbil (Assyrian Arba Eelo) is due to the interference of security authorities and their deployment around the electoral centers, which frighten the locals who favored to stay home and not to participate.”
For his part, Head of the Kurdish List in Sulaimaniya, Hakem Ferhad, considered Sulaimaniya as a very special province, asserting that the province witnessed a fierce competition between the participating political blocs.“The percentage in Sulaimaniya was normal and was not less than the last July’s elections,” al-Tagheer’s (Change) candidate, Latief Goumaa, said.“Citizens in Sulaimaniya expressed their opinions freely, considering the electoral process as good and went in a democratic way,” he added.
“Elections is a democratic process and democracy has many meanings, including the freedom to take part in the elections,” Kouran Saber, a 29-year-old citizen, said.“I took part in the elections freely and used my legitimate right and those who did not participate use their own right of not participating and they made their decisions without pressures,” he explained.“As a citizen i think that some citizens did not participate after feeling worry which forced them not to support any list, mainly after the recent incidents in Sulaimaniya between al-Tagheer (Change) and the Kurdish lists,” Kishan Hama Majid, a citizens, said.“These incidents planted a kind of fear and mistrust among locals and forced them not to head for polling centers, while the higher percentage of participation in Dohuk (Assyrian Nohadra) and Arbil (Assyrian Arba Eelo) is due to the good security and psychological atmosphere,” she explained.
Agencies
