ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Internal rivalries and candidates dropping out are bogging down the electoral campaign of the Victory (Nasr) Coalition of Haider al-Abadi in the Kurdistan Region. “Whatever promises Abadi made were a lie,” said Bakir Habib, a Kurdish candidate on the Victory list. Habib, who identifies himself as Mullah Bakir on his posters, said he had never been a member of any party, but after witnessing people’s struggles during the recent economic hardship in the Kurdistan Region, he wanted to run on Abadi’s list in order to advocate for the rights of his neighbours in Baghdad. At the beginning, the Kurdish candidates were won over by Abadi’s promises, he said, but those pledges have turned out to be just words. He also criticized how his fellow candidates were chosen and ranked. “Of the nine people running on Abadi’s list in Sulaimani, just five are from Sulaimani. Others are from Baghdad, Nineveh, and Saladin. I really do not know how these people were brought in and who did that,” he said. As a native of Sulaimani, Habib said he had asked to top the list there, but it went to a woman who he claimed “does not speak fluent Kurdish,” but has connections with officials. A Turkmen from Tal Afar is third on the list and Habib accused him of “smiling” when Turkish forces took over the Syrian Kurdish canton of Afrin. “The list is not Kurdish and I actually cannot accept it,” he said, angrily. Related: Abadi campaigns in half-empty halls in Kurdistan There is also a mysterious tenth number on the Victory list, though there are only nine candidates and Habib does not know why. Abadi’s troubles in the Kurdistan Region are not limited to Sulaimani. Two of his candidates in Erbil and Duhok have withdrawn. Last week, a female candidate named Rawshan Abdulsalam left the Victory list and joined the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Duhok. On Sunday, Himan Ramzi, another female candidate, withdrew in Erbil. The head of Abadi’s list in Duhok said the decisions of individual candidates to withdraw were related personal matters. “I am not aware of the problems,” said Nasir Bag. But he added that the list would do better in Duhok if Abadi had not cancelled his visit. In late April, Abadi campaigned in Erbil and Sulaimani, but postponed plans to go to Duhok. “We are not lucky. If we were, Abadi would have come to Duhok also,” Bag lamented. Four Arab lists have a total of 52 candidates in the Kurdistan Region – a marked increase over the 2014 elections. The Victory Coalition has six candidates in Duhok. Arab parties do not fare well in the Kurdistan Region where the political sphere is dominated by Kurdish parties. Abadi is not the first Arab leader to field candidates in the autonomous region, but his personal appearance in Kurdish cities is unprecedented. Despite that effort, his list’s fan base is weak in the Kurdistan Region and Habib predicts more candidates will drop off his list. “Some other people are threatening to withdraw and I believe it is better for some other candidates to withdraw also,” he said.
