Assyrian politics in Iraq

Assyrian politics in Iraq have been taking many different turns since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Today, there are many different Assyrian political parties in Iraq. The main Assyrian party that came out from the 2005 elections was the Assyrian Democratic Movement. However, Sarkis Aghajan began to challenge its power beginning in 2006 with the opening of Ishtar TV and the KDP-affiliated Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council.

Assyrians in Bakhdida protesting the Constitution of Iraq resolution in 2005.

1992 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

On May 19, 1992, elections were held for the Kurdistan National Assembly (KNA,) the parliament of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq. At the time, the National Assembly had 105 seats. The parties representing the Assyrian community competed in a closed list guaranteeing that there would be five Assyrian seats in the KNA. There were four Assyrian lists in the elections:

Results[1]

ADMKCUDCKAD
Dohuk5,5551,841181241
Erbil9008803471,855
Sulemani8336938
Darbandikhan
(parts of Kirkuk)
4---
Total6,543
54%
2,757
23%
537
5%
2,134
18%

A minimum of 2,400 votes was required to win a seat. ADM won four seats and one was won by the Kurdistan Christian Unity. The names of those elected into the parliament:

Francis Youif was assassinated on June 1, 1993, in Dohuk.[2]

Iraqi parliamentary election, January 2005

Iraqi parliamentary election, January 2005

A general election was held on 30 January 2005 to elect a temporary 275-member Council of Representatives of Iraq. It was the first time in the history of Iraq (outside of KRG-areas) that Assyrian political parties had been allowed to be part of the electoral system. In the elections, there were three different Assyrian lists;

Assyrian Democratic Movement
  • Assyrian National Assembly (139)
Assyrian National Congress
Assyrian Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party of Sargon Dadesho
  • Bet-Nahrain Democratic Coalition (148)
Beth Nahren Patriotic Union
Syriac Independent Gathering Movement

Chaldean National Congress was initially part of list 204, but ended up dropping off before the election. Chaldean Democratic Union Party (CDUP), Assyrian Patriotic Party (APP) and Bet Nahrain Democratic Party (BNDP) of Romeo Hakkari joined the Kurdistani list (130).

Rafidain
204
ANA
139
Bet-Nahrain
148
Anbar1014
Arbil958106217
Babil10472101
Baghdad7,4301,2101,472
Basra120153179
Diyala21911456
Dohuk4,165155137
Karbala445775
Kirkuk978599389
Missan152929
Muthanna102218
Najaf565963
Ninawa3,34697302
Qadissiya385748
Salahadin101831
Sulaymani9939174
Thiqar6810192
Wasit473227
Out-of-country voting18,5384,198727
Total36,2557,1194,141

In all, six Assyrians were elected to the parliament. National Rafidain list got the minimum required votes for a seat in the parliament and it was given to Yonadam Kanna (ADM.) Other Assyrians that were elected into the parliament include Goriel Mineso Khamis (BNDP), Nuri Potrus 'Atto, Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP) and Jacklin Qosin Zomaya (APP) all under the Kurdistani list (130.) Wijdan Michael was elected under Iyad Allawi's secular list.

Iraq Governorate elections, 2005

On the same day, Iraq held a local governorate elections in all 18 governorates. Assyrian political parties participitated in 4 of the 18 local governorate elections. The only Assyrian party that won a seat in any governorate was the Assyrian Democratic Movement in the Nineveh Governorate. The party received 4,650 votes and captured one seat (out of 41.)

Rafidain
204
Bet-Nahrain
148
Minimum votes
per seat
Arbil2,001-15,120
Dohuk4,919-8,918
Kirkuk1,554-8,727
Nineveh4,6502,3153,451

In addition, Salvana Boya of the Assyrian Patriotic Party was elected in the Kirkuk Governorate council under the Kurdistani list.[3]

2005 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

Elections for the Kurdistan National Assembly, the parliament of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, were held on 30 January 2005, to coincide with the Iraqi legislative election and governoral council elections. All Assyrian-based parties joined the Democratic Patriotic Alliance of Kurdistan. The coalition won 104 of the 111 seats in the parliament, of which 5 were won by Assyrians:

(in order as they were in the coalition list)
  • Jamal Shamon Yalya (CCS) - 69
  • Romeo Hakkari (BNDP) - 71
  • Bayzar Milko Rohan (CDUP) - 72
  • Andreaus Youkhana Georgis (ADM) - 73
  • Galawesh Shaba Hojji (ADM) - 76

Iraqi parliamentary election, 2005 (December)

An Assyrian woman voting in Alqosh, in the Iraqi 2005 December elections.

A general election was held on 15 December 2005 to elect a permanent 275-member Iraqi Council of Representatives. The elections took place under a list system, whereby voters chose from a list of parties. In the elections, there were three main Assyrian list:

Beth Nahren Patriotic Union
Chaldean National Congress
Assyrian Patriotic Party
Syriac Independent Gathering Movement
Chaldean Democratic Forum
Hikmat Hakim (Independent)

Other Assyrian parties decided to side with non-Assyrian based list. The Chaldean Democratic Union Party decided to run under the Kurdish list (730.) The Iraqi Christian Democratic Party of Minas al-Yousifi joined the list of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front (667.) Bet Nahrain Democratic Party of Romeo Hakkari withdrew.

In all, three Assyrians were voted into the parliament. ADM succeeded in capturing one parliament seat in the Baghdad governorate, which was given to the secretary of its party, Yonadam Kanna. Fawzi Hariri (KDP) and Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP) under the Kurdistani list (730) for the Arbil governorate were voted in as well.

Iraqi Governorate elections 2009

A local governorate election was held on January 31, 2009 in Iraq. There were no elections in the heavily-Assyrian populated north governorate of Dohuk and Arbil (including Slemani and Kirkuk.) 440 seats in 14 (of the 18) Iraqi governorates were up for grabs.

In the last local governorate elections, only one seat (in Nineveh) was won by Assyrians (ADM.) Unlike the 2005 local elections, minority groups had reserved seats ahead of the election. Three seats were reserved for Assyrians; one each in the governorates of Neneveh, Baghdad and Basra.

In the election, there were three main Assyrian blocks fighting for votes. The Assyrian Democratic Movement being one, under the list titled National Rafidain List (504). The other being a Kurdistan Democratic Party-backed block titled the Ishtar Patriotic List (513).

The Ishtar Patriotic List included the following:

The third major list was the Chaldean Democratic Union Party (503).

The Nineveh seat was won by Saad Tanios Jaji of SIGM. The Baghdad seat was won by Gewargis Isho Sada of the BNDP. The Ishtar Patriotic List decided not to run in the Basra elections, however, it supported the Chaldean National Congress (CNC.) The Basra seat was won by Saad Matti Boutros of the CDUP.

2009 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

Kurdistan Region held elections to elect its 111-member Kurdistan National Assembly on 25 July 2009. Five seats are reserved for Assyrians. There were 8 Assyrian parties that initially signed up to participate in the elections. Prior to the elections, BNDP decided to withdraw. APP and KACP decided to run on a joint list. CDUP and CNC merged in a joint list as well.

  • Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council List (68)
Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council
Assyrian Democratic Movement
  • Self government List (65)
Assyrian Patriotic Party
Chaldo-Ashur Communist Party
  • Chaldean United List (64)
Chaldean Democratic Union Party
Chaldean Democratic Forum
Results Total Seats
Dohuk Zakho Shaqlawa Diana Haodian Ankawa Erbil Koysanjaq Armota OtherVotes%20052009
Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council 2,4261,990463167141,1791915184,30410,59553.9-3
Assyrian Democratic Movement 3,70336217317028930406122665,69028.322
Chaldean Democratic Union Party
Chaldean National Congress
28130325536519361,7008.61
-
Chaldo-Ashur Communist Party
Assyrian Patriotic Party
244781023-88334391,6808.5--

The elected politicians:

  • Thair Abdalahad Ogostin (CSAPC)
  • Susan Yousif Khoshaba (CSAPC)
  • Amir Goga Yousif (CSAPC)
  • Salem Toma Kako (ADM)
  • Jihan Ismael Benyamin (ADM)

Iraqi parliamentary election, 2010

A parliamentary election was held on 7 March 2010. The parliament previously approved to increase the number of seats from 275 to 325, of which 5 seats were reserved for Assyrians. The reserved seats for Assyrian in Iraqi parliament was the first in the country's history. Going into the elections, four Christians were in the parliament: Yonadam Kanna (ADM), Fawzi Hariri (KDP,) Ablahad Afraim Sawa (CDUP,) and Wijdan Michael (Allawi list.)

The Assyrian Patriotic Party, Chaldean Democratic Forum, and the Bet Nahrain Democratic Party announced on November 15, that they would create an alliance.

Five major lists have been created for the election;

Three seats were won by the ADM and two seats by the CSAPC. The five elected into the parliament:

Iraqi Governorate elections, 2013

A Governorate (or local) elections were held in Iraq on 20 April 2013, with Nineveh Governorate along with Anbar voting on June 20, due to violence in the city caused by the Islamic State of Iraq. Elections didn't take place in the 3 governorates forming the Kurdistan Region.

As with the previous local elections, 3 seats were reserved for Assyrians, including one each in Baghdad, Nineveh and Basra. The Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council reclaimed their seats in Nineveh and Baghdad, by receiving 8,635 and 1,513 votes respectively.[7][8]

2013 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

Kurdistan Region held elections to elect its 111-member Kurdistan National Assembly on 21 September 2013. Each Kurdish party listed 100 candidates while each Assyrian and Turkman party listed 5 candidates. There were 3 Assyrian lists running for the five reserved seats. Prior to the election, some ADM members decided to leave the party and run on their own list called Sons of Mesopotamia.

Results

The elections resulted in the Popular Council losing one seat, while ADM retaining two seats and the new Mesopotamia List being given one seat.[9] Yaqoub Gorgis and Lina Azriya Bahram of the ADM were elected along with Srood Maqdasy from the Mesopotamia List.[9] Within the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List, the Popular Council managed retain its 2 seats.

Seats
Votes%20092013
Assyrian Democratic Movement 6,14547.422
Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List 5,73044.232
Sons of Mesopotamia List 1,0938.4-1
Total 12,96810055

Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List individual votes:

Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List
NamePartyVotes
Wahida Yaqo HirmizChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council2,517
Kamal Yalda MarkozChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council1,466
Nina LouisBet-Nahrain Democratic Party507
Sargon SalimAssyrian Patriotic Party400
Janan JabbarChaldean National Council273

Other Assyrians ran in Kurdish parties, but non were able to get enough votes to win a seat in the parliament.[10][11] Many voters in Assyrian dominated Areas voted for these parties, including 3,377 votes for the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Ankawa alone.

Kurdistan Communist Party
NamevotesRanking in List
(out of 100)
Insaf Munif Yaqub374
4
Abdulmasih Sleman Yalda205
13
Victoria Yalda Gorgis64
47
Bouya Markos Behnam59
49
Nithal Walid Louis58
50
Dalia Farid Noori40
57
Talia Khamis Matti21
68
Luay Jameel Sanati15
74
Total836
-
Kurdistan Democratic Party
NamevotesRanking in List
(out of 100)
Christof (Rebwar) Yalda3,497
71
Sanna Yaqub824
100
Total4,321
-

Iraqi parliamentary elections 2014

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on 30 April 2014, electing the 328 members of the Council of Representatives, of which 5 were reserved for the Assyrian minority. 2 of the seats were won by the Assyrian Democratic Movement, 2 by the Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council, and one by the Iraqi Communist Party who was under the Civil Democratic Alliance.

2014 Iraqi Parliament Assyrian winners
NamePartyVotesGovernorate
Yonadam KannaAssyrian Democratic Movement9,023Baghdad
Sargon LazarAssyrian Democratic Movement3,908Kirkuk
Polis Shamoon IshakChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council1,240Erbil
Raed Ishak MattiChaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council4,929Nineveh
Azad Hirmiz NissanIraqi Communist Party416Duhok

Azad was replaced Joseph Sylawa. ADM tried but failed to make Sargon Lazar a minister, after Sargon resigned his seat and gave it to Imad Youkhana Yaqo.

Iraqi parliamentary elections 2018

Parliamentary elections will be held in Iraq on 12 May 2018, electing 329 members of the Council of Representatives. A total of 7 different lists will compete for the 5 reserved seats.

See also

References

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