2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum
An independence referendum for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was held on 25 September 2017, with preliminary results showing approximately 92.73 percent of votes cast in favour of independence. Despite reporting that the independence referendum would be non-binding, the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) characterised it as binding,[1][2][3][4] although they claimed that an affirmative result would trigger the start of state building and negotiations with Iraq rather than an immediate declaration of independence of Kurdistan.[5] The referendum's legality was rejected by the federal government of Iraq.
Outcome
- Yes vote wins
- Military conflict between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government leading to the latter losing 20% of its territory
- Kurdish President Masoud Barzani resigns, referendum effectively abandoned
It was originally planned to be held in 2014 amidst controversy and dispute between the regional and federal governments.[6] Calls for Kurdish independence had been going on for years, with an unofficial 2005 referendum resulting in 98.98% voting in favor of independence.[7] These longstanding calls gained impetus following the Northern Iraq offensive by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant during the Iraqi Civil War in which Baghdad-controlled forces abandoned some areas, which were then taken by the Peshmerga and controlled de facto by the Kurds.
The referendum was announced and delayed on several occasions[8][9] as Kurdish forces co-operated with the Iraqi central government for the liberation of Mosul,[10] but by April 2017, it was being seen as happening some time in 2017.[11] On 7 June 2017, Kurdish President Masoud Barzani held a meeting with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and other ruling parties, where the independence referendum was confirmed to be held on 25 September 2017.[12]
The referendum led to a military conflict with the Iraqi central government, in which the KRG lost 20 percent of its territory and its main source of revenue,[13] the Kirkuk oil fields. Following the loss, Masoud Barzani resigned as president and the referendum was thus effectively abandoned.
: Saad al-Hadithi, a spokesman for the Iraqi Prime Minister, said, "Any decision concerning the future of Iraq must take into account the constitutional provisions, it is an Iraqi decision and not one party alone. All Iraqis must have a say in defining the future of their homeland. No single party can determine the future of Iraq in isolation from the others."[67]
