The Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP, led by Masoud Barzani is not the leading party in Iraqi Kurdistan Region IKR only for collecting 32 parliamentary seats, yet it has collected the three seats of Shingal district west of Ninewa, home to the oppressed Ezidi community, despite denial of access to lead electoral campaign there by groups close to PKK.
Ezidis accuse of the KDP, once dominant in the region, for leaving the Ezidis face the atrocities of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria ISIS back in 2017. The groups affiliated to Kurdistan Workers Party PKK, , fighting Turkey and holding territories north of Iraq, has secured a corridor for the civilians to march into Mount Shingal and Iraqi Kurdistan region.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK, led by Bafel Talabani, which is considered to be close to the groups having an upper hand in Shingal, both were shocked as they failed in earning one single seat.
Jamal Ali, senior member of PUK in Shingal, said the KDP has won two seats and the third has not been determined yet. “Candidate of Kurdistan Alliance has got 7,700 votes and we are not sure if the third seat goes to them or it will be for us.”
“With all due respect for all military groups and forces in Shingal, their words were not true since they could not serve Shingalis.”
The Independent High Electoral Commission IHEC on October 8th has opened the doors of 595 ballot stations for almost 1.2 million voters in special voting ahead of the general parliamentary elections on October 10th, including 120,000 internally displaced people IDPs, mainly in Duhok and Erbil northern provinces.
Majority of IDPs in Iraq are based in Duhok Northern province. Over 69,000 IDPs, mainly Ezidis, were eligible vote in 31 ballot stations, 22 of it are located inside the camps, per the official records of the IHEC.
There were almost 24 million registered Iraqi voters eligible to take part in the upcoming ballot yet only 41% cast ballots, IHEC said.
Seven Ezidi nominees were vying for a quota seat for the community in the province of Ninawa while about 18 others were trying to earn more seats for the vulnerable community to rebuild their war-ravaged region.
Three of the candidates for the sole quota seat were from Shingal district, 100-years-old hometown for the Ezidi community, while two others came from Bashik and two are from Shekhan, all men.
Four of them were independent while the three others were nominated by three Ezidi political parties: Ezidi Movement for Reform and Progress, Ezidi Democratic Party PADY and Ezidi Progress Party.
Manaf Hassan, in charge elections for KDP’s office 14 in Mosul, told Rudaw Media Network that after counting and sorting 80% of the votes in Ninewa, the KDP has gained 9 seats and the 10th is on the way. “Three of these seats were in the third constituency which means Shingal.”
In the province of Ninawa, 2.33 million voters nominate 31 candidates out of 420 nominees in eight electoral districts, beside three quota seats for the religious communities of Ezidis, Shabak and Christians.
The three leading Kurdish political parties, KDP, PUK and Gorran (Change Movement) which allied with PUK under Kurdistan Alliance, nominated 21 candidates who along with two independent candidates compete for over 10 seats out of the 31 seats of Ninewa province in Iraqi parliament.
Turnout all over Ninewa province was 42% yet local officials say turnout in Shingal was the lowest in the province.
More than eight different armed forces exist in Shinga district, including the PMF, Shingal Protection Units (YBS, affiliated to Kurdistan Workers Party PKK), local and federal Police, the Iraqi army and Kurdistan Regional Government KRG's Ezidkhan Asayish (security) and Peshmerga forces.
Shingal Autonomous Administrative Council is a local civil administration founded few years ago by the locals supporting pro-PKK groups: Ezidkhan Asayish (security), Shingal Resistance Units YBSh and Women Protection Units YPZh based in Shingal Mountain. Ezidkhan Asayish (security) has about 1,000 fighters and is part of YBSh in charge of administration and security in the area.
The council is neither recognized by Baghdad nor by Erbil.
Fahad Hamid, mayor of Shingal, appointed by Shingal Autonomous Administrative Council, said the process of voting was smooth in Shingal “except failure of some voting machines and a number of people were not registered thus the turnout was very low.”
Hamid believes Shingalis boycotted the elections because their problems have not been addressed.
“They are displaced for seven years. Still there are two administrations in Shingal. Mass graves have not been exhumed and the region has not been rebuilt. These are ll reasons why people mistrust the Iraqi government and voting. What happened is punishment of Baghdad.”
Ezidis are an ethno-religious minority over half a million population, mostly residing in Shingal and Shekhan districts, in northern Iraqi province of Nineveh. The militants of Islamic State ISIS extremist group in 2014 attacked their communities accusing them of being heretics, killing thousands of men and taking thousands of women and children as sex slaves, in an atrocity the U.N. described as genocide.
Ezidis were estimated at half a million ahead of Islamic State ISIS atrocities. Over 350,000 of the ethno-religious minority fled their homes to Kurdistan region and Shingal Mount. About 100,000 migrated to Europe, USA, Canada and Australia and about 200,000 are still living in IDP camps in Kurdistan up today.
In the Ezidi-dominant region of Shingal, only three thousand square km, Baghdad federal and Erbil regional governments compete to establish their rule: three local administrations, one in office by PKK-affiliated groups, another based in Duhok supported by the KDP and another appointed by Ninewa local administration, want to administer the district, and eight different security forces are deployed, some loyal to PKK, others to Baghdad, while some are supported by the KDP.
Since the military defeat of IS, discord over security arrangements, public services, and the lack of a unified administration, have plagued victims and survivors.
Efforts by the United Nations UN, local and international NGOs have not covered needs of the vulnerable impoverished community.
Candidate of PADY, close to PKK, failed to earn a seat in the third electoral district of Ninewa, which included Shingal.
Khudeda Chuki, mayor of Sinuni, close to the pro-PKK council, said about 1,500 IDPs who were unable to vote in special voting day in Duhok province under KDP, were transported to Shingal per IHEC instructions “and voted for KDP under pressure.”
The Ezidi Progress Party, an independent political party, filed to gain trust of the Ezidis in the general elections.
“Some parties and groups in Shingal have about 10,00 fighters yet they have gained only 2,000 votes. It was a shock for them and we were also shocked and we don’t know why Shingalis punished us,” said Sa’id Batosh, leader of the progress party.
Batosh also believes that the KDP gained most of the votes among Ezidi IDPs in Duhok province while in Shingal part of Mosul, “they have earned about 5,000 votes.”
Batosh said it is not clear yet who gained the quota seat for the Ezidis.
Ezidis are an ethno-religious minority over half a million population, mostly residing in Shingal and Shekhan districts, in northern Iraqi province of Nineveh. The militants of Islamic State ISIS extremist group in 2014 attacked their communities accusing them of being heretics, killing thousands of men and taking thousands of women and children as sex slaves, in an atrocity the U.N. described as genocide.
Ezidis were estimated at half a million ahead of Islamic State ISIS atrocities. Over 350,000 of the ethno-religious minority fled their homes to Kurdistan region and Shingal Mount. About 100,000 migrated to Europe, USA, Canada and Australia and about 200,000 are still living in IDP camps in Kurdistan up today.
In the Ezidi-dominant region of Shingal, only three thousand square km, Baghdad federal and Erbil regional governments compete to establish their rule: three local administrations, one in office by PKK-affiliated groups, another based in Duhok supported by the KDP and another appointed by Ninewa local administration, want to administer the district, and eight different security forces are deployed, some loyal to PKK, others to Baghdad, while some are supported by the KDP.
Since the military defeat of IS, discord over security arrangements, public services, and the lack of a unified administration, have plagued victims and survivors.
Efforts by the United Nations UN, local and international NGOs have not covered needs of the vulnerable impoverished community.
Ninewa, October 2nd 2021- KDP delegation were denied entrance to Shingal for electoral campaign. KirkukNow
Haidar Shasho, leader of the Ezidi Democratic Party PADY, said their candidate has gained only 2,600 votes. “We wait for special voting. Quota seat also has not been determined yet.”
KirkukNow could not get a comment from groups close to PKK about the general elections in Shingal.
“Stopping the KDP from going into Shingal by pro-PKK and PMF (Popular Mobilization Forces) was behind the loss of PADY candidate. That act pushed Shingalis to boycott elections,” Shasho believes.
He blamed the IHEC as most of residents could not find their names in the records while those who were not in Shingal or living abroad were registered.
"I went to a polling station in Sharia camp and I had my card but they said you are not registered here. I tried another station in the same camp and I was not registered there as well so an employee of the electoral commission told me you have to vote in Shingal," said Ilyas Qasim, originally from Tal Banat of Shingal district of Ninewa, and currently lives in the camp of Sharia for IDPs in the Northern Province of Duhok.
