Iraqi movement urges Kurds to vote 'No' in referendum

By Idris Okuducu

SULAYMANIYAH, Iraq

An Iraqi movement on Friday urged the Kurdish community to vote No in the upcoming referendum on independence in northern Iraq.

Rabun Maruf, spokesman for the “No for Now” movement, called on the community to vote No if the Kurdish Regional Government’s goes ahead with its plan to hold a referendum on Sept. 25.

Speaking at a campaign rally in the city of Sulaymaniyah in northeastern Iraq, Maruf said: “If a majority of No votes emerge through the ballot box, a new page will open for politics the next day.”

Next Monday’s referendum will see Iraqis in KRG-controlled areas -- and in a handful of territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad -- vote on whether or not to declare independence from Iraq.

Along with the Iraqi government, Turkey, the U.S., Iran, and the UN have all voiced their opposition to the planned poll.

Baghdad has even threatened to intervene militarily in the event that the vote leads to violence.

Meanwhile, in Erbil -- the KRG’s administrative capital -- many campaign rallies for Yes took place, led by KRG President Masoud Barzani.

Barzani, for his part, has said a victory for the Yes vote would not initiate in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.