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Iraqi Kurdistan in historic independence vote | Iraqi Kurdistan in historic independence vote |
(about 3 hours later) | |
People are voting in a landmark referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that the international community has criticised. | |
Polls are open in the three northern provinces that make up the region, as well as disputed areas claimed by the Kurds and the government in Baghdad. | |
Iraq's prime minister has denounced the referendum as "unconstitutional". | |
Kurdish leaders say an expected "yes" vote will give them a mandate to start negotiations on secession. | |
Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East, but they have never obtained a permanent nation state. | |
In Iraq, where they make up an estimated 15% to 20% of the population of 37 million, Kurds faced decades of repression before acquiring autonomy in 1991. | |
Voting in the referendum is open to some 5.2 million Kurds and non-Kurds aged 18 or over who are registered as resident in Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq. | |
Polling stations are expected to stay open until 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT). Initial results are expected within 24 hours, with final results announced later this week. | |
"We have been waiting 100 years for this day," one man queuing to vote at a school in the Kurdistan Region's capital, Irbil, told Reuters news agency. | |
"We want to have a state, with God's help. Today is a celebration for all Kurds. God willing, we will say yes, yes to dear Kurdistan." | |
In the disputed city of Kirkuk, which has large Arab and Turkmen populations and saw low-level clashes in the days leading up to the vote, mosque loudspeakers called on residents to vote, AFP news agency reported. | |
On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that the referendum "threatens Iraq, peaceful co-existence among Iraqis, and is a danger to the region". | |
"We will take measures to safeguard the nation's unity and protect all Iraqis." | |
'Sense of history in the making' | |
By Orla Guerin, BBC News, Irbil | |
At polling stations here there is a sense of history in the making. Some began queuing last night. The Kurds say the referendum is an example of democracy in action. Instead of opposing them, they believe that Western powers should be giving them strong support. | |
A man in his 60s, in traditional dress, told us people had been counting the months, days and minutes until they could cast their ballots. "It is the proudest moment of my life," he said. | |
Some came to vote carrying pictures of loved ones who were killed battling so-called Islamic state. "My husband's blood wasn't shed for nothing" said one woman, adding that her family had not slept for days, worrying that the referendum would be cancelled. | |
Whatever comes next this vote could reshape the Middle East. That's just what neighbouring states - with their own Kurdish minorities - are afraid of. | |
The central government has demanded that all international airports and border crossings be returned to its control, and asked all countries to "deal only with it on matters of oil and borders". | |
The United Nations, United States and United Kingdom have also expressed concern over the potentially destabilising impact of the referendum. | |
The UN Security Council warned on Thursday that the vote could hamper the fight against so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role, and efforts to ensure the return of 3 million displaced Iraqis. | |
Neighbouring Turkey, which has a sizeable Kurdish minority pushing for autonomy, said on Monday that it would view the results of the referendum as "null and void". However, it kept open the Kurdish oil export pipeline that crosses its territory. | |
Iraqi Kurdistan's other neighbour, Iran, which has its own Kurdish populated region, has also denounced the vote. | |
Kurdistan Regional President Massoud Barzani accused the international community of having double standards. | |
"Asking our people to vote in a peaceful way is not a crime," he said on Sunday. "If democracy is bad for us, why isn't it bad for everyone else?" | |
Mr Barzani said the referendum would not draw borders, and that afterwards there could be talks with Baghdad for a year or two. But he stressed that the "failed partnership" with the "theocratic, sectarian state" of Iraq was over. | |