ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections approach, young first-time voters state their reasons for participating in the process and their expectations from candidates.
Yekem Deng (First Vote) is a Rudaw program presented by Nazanin Goran, where she interviews young people across the Kurdistan Region who are casting their votes for the first time. The program explores their thoughts on why they are voting and what has influenced their choice of candidates and parties.
The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections, which have been delayed multiple times, are scheduled for October 20.
According to data from the Kurdistan Region’s statistics board, the region has an estimated 6.3 million residents, with nearly 3.7 million eligible to vote.
Rawen Salar, a 22-year-old law student, is among those voting for the first time. Salar describes himself as a nationalist and feels deeply connected to the history and sacrifices made by the Kurdish people.
"Reflecting on the history of my people and all the sacrifices we have given may have influenced me to be infatuated with my nation and put the love of Kurdistan ahead of everything else," he said on Monday's episode.
Salar also believes that nationalist sentiment has weakened over time. "Nationalist thought and beliefs have weakened to a degree," he added.
He expressed skepticism about newly-established political parties, saying they lack a clear agenda. "The new parties are not founded on a robust program or a special ideology," he said, emphasizing that for a new list to be successful, it must have long-term plans that go beyond mere slogans and promises.
Salar also noted that young people often look to their families when making voting decisions and may not have developed their own independent outlook.
"Each person is free in their belief. No individual is dependent on another when it comes to political and election matters," he said.
Originating from one of the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, Salar expects the party and candidate he votes for to prioritize the people of his town and not neglect their issues.
Bryar Sarwar, a 21-year-old excavator operator from Penjwen district, which is close to the Bashmakh border crossing between the Kurdistan Region and Iran, prioritizes action over words when selecting a candidate.
“I care about action, I do not value words,” he said.
Sarwar mentioned lost opportunities in Penjwen and failure to sell local produce like tomatoes in the markets.
"In Penjwen, we have a lot of tomatoes. I believe that we could supply all of Iraq with tomatoes. However, because there is no established process for marketing the produce, there are times when prices drop significantly, causing losses for the farmers," he explained.
Both Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have previously halted tomato imports to support local farmers. Despite this, Kurdish farmers have often been forced to destroy their crops or sell them at a loss due to low prices, even staging protests against banned imports that flood the market.
Sarwar also highlighted Penjwen’s potential as a tourist destination and expressed hope that the next government should implement plans to boost tourism, which could support local businesses.
"I used to say ‘I will not vote,’ ” he admitted, but now encourages people to vote for whomever they believe will implement the projects they wish to see.
This year, 1,191 candidates, including 823 men and 368 women, are competing for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament, including 38 candidates who are running for five minority-quota seats.
There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in the disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces.
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