“But when people in need ask for help, they say there’s a crisis and there’s no money.”Twelve months since a controversial referendum that sparked a punishing backlash from Baghdad, Iraq’s divided Kurds will elect a regional parliament Sunday, their dreams of statehood shattered. Still smarting from referendum, Iraqi Kurds to elect new parliament“These elections don’t interest me at all,” Mohammed said, a black and white kuffiyeh scarf on his head. Last year’s poll, held in defiance of the international community, sparked anger and a firm rejection from the Iraqi capital. It also deepened the divide between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of longtime regional leader Massud Barzani, who championed the referendum, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Less than three weeks after the vote, federal forces moved in to oust PUK forces that were controlling the disputed province of Kirkuk.

Source: The Express Tribune September 28, 2018 14:37 UTC