An informal independence referendum for Kurdistan Region was held on 30 January 2005, with final results showing the vast majority of votes, 98.98 per cent, cast in favour of independence. Conducted by the Kurdistan Referendum Movement alongside the Iraqi parliamentary elections and Kurdistan Region elections of 2005, the referendum asked the people of Kurdistan Region whether they favoured remaining a part of Iraq or were in favour of an independent Kurdistan.
Background On 22 December 2004, a non-partisan delegation headed by Ardishir Rashidi-Kalhur, president of the Kurdish American Education Society met with Carina Perelli, Head of the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division and staff, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, to hand over 1,732,535 signatures, which were collected endorsing the call for an independence referendum on the future of Southern Kurdistan.
The referendum was held at the end of the term of the Iraqi Interim Government.
Impact The referendum did not lead to the independence of Kurdistan because of threats from neighboring countries, but the Kurdistan Region was granted autonomy in the Constitution of Iraq adopted on October 15, 2005.
Results Area:IndependenceStay in IraqTotalIndependence %Stay in Iraq %Kirkuk: 131,274 181 131,582 99.88 0.12Nineveh: 165,780 111 165,891 99.93 0.07Diyala: 35,786 627 36,413 98.28 1.72Sulaymaniyah: 650,000 5,796 656,496 99.12 0.88Erbil: 622,409 11,289 636,898 98.23 1.77Duhok: 368,163 2,247 370,781 99.39 0.61Total: 1,973,412 20,251 1,998,061 98.88% 1.12%
See also 2017 Kurdistan Region independence referendum
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