Challenging the Kurdish Establishment

The Iraqi-Kurdish political state of affairs that had existed for the better part of the last decade was rocked this weekend when a large fraction of Iraqi Kurdistan's voters registered their protest with the 2 ruling parties and voted for a new party called Goran, or change.

The election, in which over 78% of eligible Kurdish voters participated, still saw the largest share of votes go to the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan, the electoral coalition consisting mainly of the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Although these two parties had once engaged in a civil war over control of the region, in recent years they have united, becoming a ruling political dynasty in the region that controls everything from the granting of business licenses to municipal funding. The leaders of these two parties, Jalal Talabani and Massoud Barzani, led the successful struggle for Kurdish autonomy in Northern Iraq and have presided over a region that, due to its stability and economic growth, has been widely hailed as a successful example for the rest of Iraq.

However, like many political monopolies throughout history, the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan was charged with engaging in corruption and nepotism. Nawshirwan Mustafa, a former PUK leader and current leader of Goran, capitalized on the frustration of Kurdistan's voters and may win a substantial minority of the 111 seats in the Kurdish regional parliament once the vote counts become official. That result would represent a remarkable change for a ruling coalition unused to competition. While it still remains to be seen whether Goran will have a substantial influence on Kurdish policy, the challenge is sure to shock the ruling DPAK out of its complacency. In fact, Jalal Talabani's duties as president of Iraq are said to have taken a backseat to his campaigning for the DPAK in the weeks leading up to the election. Hopefully the increased political competition will not come at the expense of Kurdistan's stability and will result in yet further democratization of a region that has been a sorely needed model of achievement for the rest of Iraq.