Iraqi Kurds have voted overwhelmingly for independence in a contentious referendum, the High Elections and Referendum Commission announced Wednesday Sep 27,2017, a vote that has angered the government in Baghdad and regional heavyweights Turkey and Iran.
Hendrin Mohammed, the head of the electoral commission, announced the official results at a press conference, saying the referendum passed with 92.73 percent support and turnout of more than 72 percent.
The vote is non-binding and will not immediately bring more independence to the already largely autonomous region. Nevertheless, it has raised fears of introducing further instability to Iraq and beyond.
For Baghdad, the vote threatens a redrawing of Iraq's borders, taking a sizeable part of the country's oil wealth with it. Turkish and Iranian leaders feared the move would embolden their own Kurdish populations, with neighbouring Turkey even threatening a military response.
The Iraqi Kurdish push for independence has been made even more combustible after Kurdish forces recaptured extensive territory from the Islamic State group in the past year.
Note
Iraq's Supreme Court ordered the suspension of the referendum earlier this month but the Kurds vowed to go ahead with the vote
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