Gorran Says it Could Have Won More Votes in Kurdistan Electi
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 3:52 pmERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Even though the Change Movement (Gorran) came second in last month’s parliamentary elections in Kurdistan, the head of the group’s research center says the party could have won more votes if the elections had been fairer.
“I believe if a healthy election takes place in Kurdistan we will be the number one winner,” Yousif Muhammad told Rudaw in an interview. “But big fraud has taken place in Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaimani,” he alleged.
Gorran won 24.4 percent of the votes and most of its support came from Sulaimani province, where its archrival the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) had been dominant for the past two decades.
Muhammad believes Gorran lost many votes because voters were intimidated, especially among the armed forces.
“If it weren’t for fear and intimidation, we would have won the majority of the armed forces’ votes,” he said.
Gorran was founded in 2009 by Nawshirwan Mustafa, who broke away from the PUK. Until last month’s elections, the group remained an active opposition.
Following the initial release of the poll results by the Election Commission last week, PUK leaders accepted their poor record in the vote and promised party reform. But in the meantime, they accuse Gorran of some serious vote rigging.
Muhammad said that the PUK has its representatives at the Election Commission and therefore should trust the commission’s judgment.
He said that Gorran has won over many supporters of other political parties because it does not profess any particular ideology.
“We are a new party and we represent all groups and communities in Kurdistan,” he said. “We have got votes from all the different groups, including religious voters. Our party has no official ideology; we are what the people of Kurdistan are.”
In the lead-up to the elections, Mustafa, said that his group was ready to join a new government, but only as equal partners and with preconditions.
“The government must not be like a cake divided among political parties,” said Muhammad. “It has to be an institutionalized government. Instead of focusing on who will form the government, we need to focus on how will the government be made.”
Muhammad believes that the time has come to change the pattern through which the PUK and its partner the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) used to run the government in the past.
Muhammad said that Gorran does not intend to control the security forces and other government institutions in Sulaimani as the PUK has previously done, but rather wants to reform them.
“We do not want to control the security apparatus. We want to nationalize the security apparatus,” he explained. “The PUK has lost and has to agree to this outcome. The armed forces have to be detached from political affiliations all over Kurdistan.”
Comments
10 1 Ari | 11 hours ago
Typical loser, they accuse the winner of election fraud just because they failed. All Kurdish and International election observer said that the election was fair. But of course only the loser dont want to recognize it. And Gorran won nothing, they even lost 1 seat compared to the last elections. Only PDK won this elections, they got 8 seats more and are now the only dominant party in south Kurdistan.
Report
10 0 Kurd | 11 hours ago
How can a party intimidate voters? Because nobody can see for who the voters voted, thats why there are cabins.
Report
8 2 Slemani | 10 hours ago
Gorran tried to destabilize Kurdistan with bringing the arab spring to Kurdistan in 2011. Kurdistan could end like Egypt and Syria if the KRG would not destroy this attempts. Now Gorran tried to destroy Kurdistan again with asking the PUK to form a coalition with them without the PDK, which got the majority of the votes. But they failed again, because the PUK is clever to know that to ignore the biggest party would destabilize Kurdistan, thats why they rejected Gorrans stupid offer.
Report
7 0 Polla | 10 hours ago
Some parties must learn to accept their defeat.
“I believe if a healthy election takes place in Kurdistan we will be the number one winner,” Yousif Muhammad told Rudaw in an interview. “But big fraud has taken place in Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaimani,” he alleged.
Gorran won 24.4 percent of the votes and most of its support came from Sulaimani province, where its archrival the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) had been dominant for the past two decades.
Muhammad believes Gorran lost many votes because voters were intimidated, especially among the armed forces.
“If it weren’t for fear and intimidation, we would have won the majority of the armed forces’ votes,” he said.
Gorran was founded in 2009 by Nawshirwan Mustafa, who broke away from the PUK. Until last month’s elections, the group remained an active opposition.
Following the initial release of the poll results by the Election Commission last week, PUK leaders accepted their poor record in the vote and promised party reform. But in the meantime, they accuse Gorran of some serious vote rigging.
Muhammad said that the PUK has its representatives at the Election Commission and therefore should trust the commission’s judgment.
He said that Gorran has won over many supporters of other political parties because it does not profess any particular ideology.
“We are a new party and we represent all groups and communities in Kurdistan,” he said. “We have got votes from all the different groups, including religious voters. Our party has no official ideology; we are what the people of Kurdistan are.”
In the lead-up to the elections, Mustafa, said that his group was ready to join a new government, but only as equal partners and with preconditions.
“The government must not be like a cake divided among political parties,” said Muhammad. “It has to be an institutionalized government. Instead of focusing on who will form the government, we need to focus on how will the government be made.”
Muhammad believes that the time has come to change the pattern through which the PUK and its partner the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) used to run the government in the past.
Muhammad said that Gorran does not intend to control the security forces and other government institutions in Sulaimani as the PUK has previously done, but rather wants to reform them.
“We do not want to control the security apparatus. We want to nationalize the security apparatus,” he explained. “The PUK has lost and has to agree to this outcome. The armed forces have to be detached from political affiliations all over Kurdistan.”
Comments
10 1 Ari | 11 hours ago
Typical loser, they accuse the winner of election fraud just because they failed. All Kurdish and International election observer said that the election was fair. But of course only the loser dont want to recognize it. And Gorran won nothing, they even lost 1 seat compared to the last elections. Only PDK won this elections, they got 8 seats more and are now the only dominant party in south Kurdistan.
Report
10 0 Kurd | 11 hours ago
How can a party intimidate voters? Because nobody can see for who the voters voted, thats why there are cabins.
Report
8 2 Slemani | 10 hours ago
Gorran tried to destabilize Kurdistan with bringing the arab spring to Kurdistan in 2011. Kurdistan could end like Egypt and Syria if the KRG would not destroy this attempts. Now Gorran tried to destroy Kurdistan again with asking the PUK to form a coalition with them without the PDK, which got the majority of the votes. But they failed again, because the PUK is clever to know that to ignore the biggest party would destabilize Kurdistan, thats why they rejected Gorrans stupid offer.
Report
7 0 Polla | 10 hours ago
Some parties must learn to accept their defeat.