For almost three months now, protestors have gathered in Sulaymaniyah Square in the semi-autonomous oil-rich province of Kurdistan (pictured here) to protest what they allege is government corruption, nepotism, incompetence, and anti-democratic measures. Since the protests began, at least 12 civilians have been killed across Kurdistan.
The continuing protests have pushed the government and opposition parties further apart than ever before, with Massoud Barzani, the region’s President, accusing the opposition of attempting to ignite a coup. Opposition figures, however, have countered that they are not trying to start a coup, but are rather trying to exercise democratic rights present in democracies across the world.
Analysts have said that this type of back-and-forth is quite common in regional politics and reflect a lack of discretion rather than a serious threat to the young Iraqi democracy.
For the original story, with an accompanying video, please see Presstv.ir.
The photo of Sulaymaniyah Square comes courtesy of WLCentral.org.
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