New constitution of Iraqi Kurdistan is a model for the nationality and minority politics of the Near-east

July 3, 2009

ERBIL-Hewlêr, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — The Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) has described the new constitution of the autonomous federal state of Iraqi Kurdistan as a shining model for the nationality politics and the solution of the minority problems in the Near-east. "The rights of all large ethnic groups in Iraqi Kurdistan are expressly anchored, including the right to self-government and freedom of religion”, said the President of the GfbV International, Tilman Zülch, on Tuesday in Göttingen.

Smaller communities too have the opportunity to develop. (entfalten”) The regional parliament in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, passed the draft constitution last week. Now it is for the citizens of the federal state to vote for or against the new constitution at the presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 25th July.

The wishes of all nationalities have been respected in the new constitution. Article 15 says: "The people of the federal state of Iraqi Kurdistan is made up of Kurds,www.ekurd.net Arabs, Turkmens, Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians, Armenians and other citizens of Kurdistan /Iraq.” Article 35 says: "This constitution guarantees the national, cultural and administrative rights of the Turkmens, Arabs, Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians and Armenians including their right to regional autonomy in the regions and communities in which these ethnic groups form a majority.” Article 36 guarantees complete freedom of religion also for the Christian denominations and the religious community of the Kurdish Yezidi.

Apart from the Kurdish and Arab languages Turkmen, New Aramaic and Armenian are recognized as languages of the smaller nationalities. In communities or regions where these form the majority local or regional autonomy is granted. The right to native language instruction is guaranteed by the constitution from primary school to university.

An electoral law for Kurdistan also sets down that eleven of the 111 seats in the regional parliament are reserved for non-Kurdish nationalities: five seats each for Turkmens and Christians and one seat for the small Armenian ethnic group. For the provincial councils also a comprehensive quota system has been introduced.

In Sulaimaniyah one seat has been reserved for the Chaldaic Aramean Assyrians, In Erbil there are three seats for the Turkmens, two for the Aramaic-speaking Christians and one for the Armenians, while in Duhok two seats are reserved for the Aramaic-speaking Christians and one for the Armenians. The smaller peoples will be having as a result of their guaranteed seats in all bodies more representatives than corresponds to their percentage in the total population.

In Kurdistan/Iraq there is today a Turkmen and a New Aramaic school system with 58 Aramaic,www.ekurd.net 16 Turkmen and two Armenian schools. Both nationalities have media (press, radio, TV and culture institutes) in their languages. There is also a private Turkish university and a theological seminar of the Chaldaic Catholic Church for the training of priests, which following the recent mass flight of Christians from Baghdad was transferred to the Kurd capital of Erbil.

The GfbV is represented in Erbil / Iraqi Kurdistan by a section to which representatives of all ethnic and religious communities belong.

http://www.ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2009/7/independentstate2886.htm

thanks Dry

Thanks Dry,
LIT

thanks lizzy !

Iraqi Politicians Concerned By New Kurdish Constitution



Iraqi Politicians Concerned By New Kurdish Constitution

Posted GMT 7-2-2009 20:40:1

BAGHDAD (RFE/RL) -- Sunni and Shi'ite Arab parliamentarians say the
constitution of Iraqi's autonomous Kurdish region runs counter to
Iraq's national constitution and should be debated by the country's
parliament in Baghdad, RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq (RFI) reports.
Dhafir al-Ani, the head of the Sunni Accordance Front bloc, told
RFI that the Kurdish Constitution -- which was recently approved by the
regional legislature -- contains formulations that have a secessionist
tendency.
He added that some of its provisions give regionally enacted laws precedence over Iraq's federal constitution.

Al-Ani stressed that the Accordance Front also does not
recognize the Kurdish Constitution as a legal document because it
incorporates predominantly Arab areas within Iraqi Kurdistan.

Al-Ani added that the region's constitution invites foreign interference in Iraq's affairs.

Abbas al-Bayati of the Shi'ite United Iraqi Alliance bloc told
RFI that the Kurdish Constitution declares disputed areas as part of
Iraqi Kurdistan, although the Iraqi Constitution clearly delineates the
Kurdish region's boundaries as excluding these areas.

Al-Bayati said the Kurdish Constitution should be debated by the
parliament in Baghdad to define discrepancies and pinpoint provisions
of it that clash with the federal constitution.

Farzand Ahmad of the Kurdistan Alliance bloc told RFI that Kurds
will not submit their constitution to scrutiny by Baghdad because there
is no constitutional provision that provides for such a measure.

Ahmad added that the Kurdish Constitution was drafted by a team
of legal and constitutional experts and the draft was then presented to
the central government's consultative council and the Baghdad
parliament's presidium for examination before it was voted on by the
Kurdish parliament, underlining that the Kurds are acting within their
rights.













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