By Nawzad Mahmoud

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – After years of experience with Baghdad, the issue of referendum is back on the table among Kurdish leaders.

At a meeting with Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani last week, all political parties agreed on a referendum that could allow people to choose whether they prefer federalism, confederation, or independence.

But, since the Kurdistan Election Commission is not established yet, the referendum might be delayed to after the formation of the new Iraqi government.

In their first meeting after the Iraqi legislative elections, the Kurdish parties are sending a new political message to Baghdad. One of the participants of the meeting told Rudaw: “If Baghdad is not ready to meet our demands, the Kurds approach other ways to achieve the demands.”

Mohammed Haji Mahmood, secretary of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, said that he introduced the idea of conducting a referendum at the meeting, “so that Iraq will understand if it sidelines the Kurds in the future, what options are available to Kurds.”

Mahmood said that the Kurdistan parliament should seriously tackle the issue of approving the law that would set up the Kurdistan election commission. “That is the parliament’s real task, not the minor issues,” he said.

“I am sure that if the parliament approves the law, the commission can be formed in a month and we can conduct the referendum,” Mahmood added.

Political leaders and observers believe that the results of the referendum are very predictable, and people will vote for independence.

Mahmood is also confident about the results of the referendum. He said that, with the results of the referendum, Kurdish leaders can then tell Baghdad that, “People want independence, but we choose confederation and we will make it de facto.”

The Iraqi Election Commission is unwilling to conduct an election or a referendum on Kurdish national ambitions. Therefore, the Kurds have no choice but to establish their own commission.

Mohammad Haji, head of political relations of the Change Movement (Gorran), confirmed that the referendum was one of the issues discussed at the meeting. “We said if we don’t reach any agreement on the disputed issues we will go back to the parliament and the people,” he said, noting the many disputed with Baghdad.

Handren Mohammed, the head of the Erbil branch of the Iraqi election commission, said that establishing the Kurdistan election commission is very easy, citing the decision in 2004 to form the Iraqi commission that was formed within months.

According to Mohamed, if the Kurdistan parliament can approve the law by the end of this month, the referendum can be held in September.

In 2012, the Kurdistan Parliament held two discussions over the Kurdistan election commission law and approved four articles of the law but disagreements over the members of the commission resulted in deadlock.

Rudaw