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More than three million voters have the right to vote in three provinces of the Northern Region (AFP)
The Kurds began voting in a parliamentary election in their semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq, with the two traditionally dominant parties expected to broaden their power-sharing regime in spite of growing discontent.
Sunday's poll comes one year after the region of six million people made a failed attempt to separate from the rest of Iraq in a campaign led by Masud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).
Barzani has retained a base of support even though his campaign for independence has been crushed by the Baghdad government and splits within the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) mean that the KDP could take over in his ruling coalition.
A weak opposition has not been able to challenge the KDP-PUK alliance. Both parties dominated Kurdish politics for decades.
"I do not know who I will vote for, but our family has always supported the KDP.My son will choose a candidate for me," said Halima Ahmed, 65, while she was walking with a cane in the city of Erbil. of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
More than three million voters are eligible to vote in three northern provinces, where 673 candidates from 29 political parties compete for seats in Parliament, which has 111 members.
Eleven of the seats, however, are reserved for religious and ethnic minorities: five for the Turkmen candidates, five for the Christians and one for the Armenian community.
Unsuccessful independence of the oil region, stagnant politics, unpaid salaries in the public sector and corruption undermined public confidence in politics and voter turnout declined in recent elections .
Major parties say they do not expect more than 40 percent of registered voters to go to the polls, which will close at 18:00 (15:00 GMT). Preliminary results are expected within 72 hours.
& # 39; A new chapter & # 39;
The Kurds of Iraq have been a key partner of the United States in the war against the Islamic State and had hoped that their role would strengthen international support for the creation of a state.
A referendum in September 2017 promised to put the Kurds of Iraq on the road to a homeland and nearly 93% voted in favor of independence, despite pressure from the central government in Baghdad and the threats of Turkey and Iran.
Future authorities need to look after people, especially poor people
– Soran Rassul, an unemployed
But the massive "yes", deemed illegal by the Iraqi federal government, has strongly turned against him.
Baghdad imposed economic sanctions and sent federal troops to drive Kurdish forces away from oil deposits essential to the region's economy, thereby depriving it of a vital lifeline.
This election must "open a new chapter" in the relations between Kurdistan and Baghdad, said 26-year-old Hawar Salar, while he was voting in Erbil.
The vote, he said, comes "after the problems caused by the referendum and the war against the ISIS group".
Kurdistan had experienced an economic boom after the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003, which overthrew longtime leader Saddam Hussein, while the rest of the country was plunged into violence. .
But the emergence of the IS in 2014, coupled with falling oil prices, hit the economy of the region.
Since 2014, Iraqi Kurdistan has borrowed more than $ 4 billion to stay afloat, according to some experts. Before the referendum, he had accumulated a debt of about $ 12 billion, AFP reported.
"The future authorities must look after the population, especially the poor," said Soran Rassul, an unemployed man who voted in Sulaimaniyah, the second largest city in Kurdistan and the stronghold of the PUK.
Fear of fraud
Kurdish opposition parties had disappointing results when Iraq held federal elections in May.
But numerous allegations that the KDP and PUK have committed electoral fraud, unconfirmed in a subsequent recount, could influence voters, the Reuters news agency reported.
Gorran, the main opposition movement, was weakened by internal conflicts and the death of its founder and leader, Nechirvan Mustafa, last year.
"I wanted to make sure I voted early, I gave my vote to Gorran and hope that everything will be fine," said 52-year-old Omar Mahmoud Abdullah. Polling station of the Shireen School of Sulaimaniya.
In another polling station in Sulaimaniya, lawyer Hassan Dalloush, 65, also said that he was voting for the opposition.
"If there is no fraud in this election, I will feel good, but the parties in power still want to commit fraud, that's the only way to stay in power," he said. he declared.
"I will never vote for the parties in power Today, I voted for the opposition."
Nevertheless, some voters have been optimistic about the future. Salar Karim arrived at a polling station with his wife and two young children, all dressed festive for the occasion.
"Today is a historic day for the Kurds," said Karim, 50. "We must elect our parliament as it is our duty. I feel good today. "
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