Iraq’s Kurds head to the polls for an unusually competitive election

THERE is a hint of excitement in the air as Iraq’s Kurds vote for a regional assembly and a president on Saturday July 25th. Politics in Iraqi Kurdistan have long been dominated by the Kurdistan Patriotic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). As usual, they have clubbed together to form the Kurdistani List and as such are likely to win the election. But they may not win as comprehensively as they have done in the past.

Goran (“change”) is offering the two-party block something of a challenge. It is a new movement set up by Nawshirwan Mustafa, a disgruntled former PUK member who is tired of what he regards as his opponents’ corruption and cronyism. The Kurds have in general had a better time of it than the rest of Iraq since the invasion of their country in 2003. The northern region of Iraq has been fairly peaceful. But competitive politics has been slow to develop. …