MESOP : FORWARD TO A REFERENDUM ON KURDISH INDEPENDENCE

KIHEC Ready to Hold a Referendum on Kurdish Independence / The commission is technically capable of holding an independence referendum

  Hemin Salih – BasNews – 14 Apr 2016 – ERBIL — Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission (KIHEC) stated that the commission is capable to hold the referendum on Kurdish independence in the period that Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani has set.

Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission and Referendum was established in 2015 and its first mission is expected to be the referendum on Kurdish independence. Barzani has been insisting on holding an independence referendum by the end of 2016, and he has called upon the Kurdish factions in Kurdistan Region to prepare the ground for holding the anticipated popular referendum on Kurdish independence. Handren Mohammed Saleh, the President of Kurdistan Independent High Electoral Commission and Referendum, stated in an interview with BasNews that the commission is technically capable of holding the referendum but they should be officially asked after the issuance of the Kurdish independence  referendum act in Kurdistan Region parliament which enables the independence referendum, and allocate the budget needed for the process. Whether the referendum includes the disputed areas or not, Saleh said, the issue rests on the referendum act which will be issued by the Kurdish parliament or the political Kurdish sides. www.mesop.de