In the multi-ethnic city of Kirkuk it is hard to find posters of Kurdish candidates for Iraq’s upcoming elections, but the campaigns of other hopefuls are in full swing. The past seven months have seen a dramatic turn of events in Kirkuk, the “Jerusalem of Kurdistan” where hopes of independence for Iraqi Kurdistan were dashed after Baghdad retaliated against a referendum held in September. The May 12 national elections have been welcomed by the city’s Arab and Turkmen politicians, who are busy organising campaign meetings and whose election posters hang proudly in place. In the 2014 elections Kurds took eight of the available seats, with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) winning six seats and their rivals the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) securing the other two. “Kirkuk is Iraqi, yes, but with a Kurdish identity.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 04, 2018 11:36 UTC