Islam Times - Iraq’s Apex Court Rules Kurdish Secession Plebiscite Unconstitutional

Islam Times - Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court ruled on Monday that a referendum held on Kurdistan’s secession was unconstitutional and that the results of the vote were void, a court spokesman said.

“The Federal Court issued the decision to consider the Kurdish region’s referendum unconstitutional and this ruling is final,” the spokesman said. “The power of this ruling should now cancel all the results of the referendum.”

The court had already ruled on Nov. 6 that no region or province can secede and the Kurdistan Regional Government, KRG, said last week it would respect that verdict.

On September 25, the Kurdistan Regional Government held the non-binding referendum on secession from Iraq in defiance of stiff opposition from the central government in Baghdad and much of the international community. Kurdish officials have claimed that over 90 percent of voters said ‘Yes’ to break away from Iraq.

Following the controversial plebiscite, Iraqi government forces backed by Popular Mobilization Forces launched a surprise offensive on 16 October in disputed areas and managed to wrest back control of the oil city of Kirkuk and other disputed territories.

Political observers have warned that KRG’s referendum was part of US-Israeli policy of Balkanizing and eventually weakening the regional Muslim states.