Tag Archives | referendum

Kurdish Political Heavyweight Announces Plan to Shake Up Voters

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. If people in Iraqi Kurdistan are not talking about the referendum on independence then they are discussing the arrival of new political alliance with the potential to change the Kurdish […]

What Talabani's Death means for the Future of Iraq

By Cengiz Çandar for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Probably no president was ever called "uncle" by his eminent counterparts and by the people on the street. Yet in every Middle East country where Kurds live, "mam" ("paternal uncle" in Kurdish) was the honorific title […]

KRG Protests Int'l Air Traffic Embargo

By John Lee. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has reportedly filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) following Baghdad's decision to close the region's airspace to international traffic. The closure came after Kurdish authorities refused to hand over control of the airports to the central government, following last week's referendum on Kurdish […]

CBI Stops Dollar Sales, Foreign Currency Transfers to Kurdistan

By John Lee. The Central Bank of Iraq (CBI) announced on Tuesday that it will block foreign currency transfers to Iraqi Kurdistan, and stop selling dollars to four major Kurdish banks. The decision part of an effort to put pressure on Iraqi Kurdistan after its population voted overwhelmingly in favour of breaking away from Iraq […]

Iran, Iraq to Stage Joint Military Drills in Coming Days

The armed forces of Iran and neighboring Iraq plan to hold joint military exercises in coming days, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri announced. Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Brigadier General Jazayeri said the commanders of Iran’s Armed Forces held a meeting on Saturday chaired by Chief […]

Post-Referendum Threats And Demands

This article was originally published by Niqash. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi Kurdish Politicians Talk About Post-Referendum Threats And Demands While many uncertainties remain about Iraqi Kurdistan’s referendum on independence, there is one thing that seems clear to the people on […]

Baghdad Suspends Int'l Flights to Erbil

By John Lee. Direct international flights will be suspended to and from Erbil International Airport (pictured) starting from Friday evening, following a decision by the Iraqi cabinet and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, an airline official has told Xinhua. The move follows the region's vote for independence in Monday's referendum. Airlines including Qatar Airways, EgyptAir and […]

93% of Iraqi Kurds Vote for Independence

By John Lee. The Kurdistan Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission, yesterday announced the results of the Kurdistan independence referendum. In a press conference, Hndren Muhammad, the head of the Commission, announced an overwhelming victory of Yes in the referendum and provided the following preliminary figures: Eligible voters: 4,581,255. Turnout: 3,305,925 voted in the referendum, […]

Initial Referendum Results - Over 90% Voted Yes

Initial results for the Kurdish independence referendum show that around 95 percent of people voted in favour of separation from Iraq and the formation of an independent Kurdistan state. According to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG), the first exit polls show that 95 percent of voters said ‘yes’ while around 5 percent said voted against. […]