ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish minority group known as Kakeis celebrated an historic moment last week by electing their first representative to the newly founded Halabja Provincial Council. The Kakei, estimated to number 75,000 in the Kurdistan region, is a religious minority with followers in the ethnically Kurdish areas of Iraq and Iran. Another name for the religion is Yarsan. Now, for the first time, Kakeis will have elected representation in the Kurdistan region and Iraq. President Masoud Barzani signed the law to make Halabja the fourth province in the Kurdistan region on March 16, 2014 — the anniversary of the notorious chemical attack carried out by the Iraqi government in 1988, leading to the deaths of an estimated 5,000 people. Kurdistan region lawmakers voted earlier this month on a Halabja administration bill that provides a legal framework for appointing the Halabja Provincial Council, comprising no more than 25 seats, and the selection of a governor and two deputies. The bill also awarded a one-seat quota to the Kakei religious minority in the province. “One seat is good for the beginning, and we are satisfied with it,” said Rangin Salam, a Kakei news anchor and talk show host for Nwe Radio—a community radio station in Halabja with a focus on youth and women’s rights. The high voter turnout of 83 percent of the total 1,672 registered voters is a sign the local Kakei are pleased with the historic seat. Still, Salam believes more representation would benefit the minority. “Two seats could be allocated for Halabja Kakeis. This way we can at least have one male and one female representative in the council,” she said. There was only one woman out of the 11 Kakei candidates in last week’s vote. The Halabja Administration bill requires the allocation of 30 percent of the provincial seats for women. Kakeis also live in the Kurdish provinces of Erbil, Sulaimani and Kirkuk, but there is no minority seat reserved for them and they have no seats in Kurdistan Parliament. Christian, Assyrian and Turkmen minorities do seats set aside for them in their respective provinces and Kurdish parliament. Kakeis from Kirkuk and other areas attended the election, though they did not have the right to vote. Ako Shawais, who was elected to become the first Kakei representative to join the Halabja Provincial Council, urged his fellow Kakei to follow suit in the rest of Kurdistan where they live. “We should meet and talk together so that we agree on our future plans. We should have our own allocated seats in other provincial councils, too,” Shawais said. Kakeis who have converted to Sunni Islam had the right to vote candidate but are barred from being candidates.
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