But a massive “yes” vote in the September 2017 referendum for independence, deemed illegal by Iraq’s federal government, backfired on the oil-rich autonomous Kurdish region. The outgoing parliament is dominated by the Kurdistan Democratic Party of veteran leader and former president Massud Barzani who championed the referendum vote as is the government. There is only one new political party competing — the New Generation movement, founded in 2018 to channel public anger at the region’s elite. “We need a strong parliament that will work to set up a Kurdish state and a modern and democratic society,” said voter Karouan Abu Bakr, 42. The vote in Kurdistan comes amid major political shifts not just in the region but elsewhere in the country.

Source: The Guardian September 30, 2018 08:03 UTC