GASSED and persecuted by Saddam Hussein, the Kurds of northern Iraq voted in their tens of thousands yesterday in an election that will finally give them a voice in the running of the country.

With security less of a concern in the three Kurdish-controlled provinces, young men waving Kurdish flags brought a cup-final atmosphere to the city of Sulaimaniyah.

“This proves that we are now free,” said Akar Azad, 19, who voted with his wife and sister in the city of Arbil.

All three voted for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which was running on a joint ticket with its rival Kurdish Democratic Party to ensure the strongest possible Kurdish representation in the 275-strong National Assembly.

That, in turn, should ensure that the Kurds’ hard-earned right to self-rule is enshrined in the new constitution to be drafted this year.

The Kurds, who had 2.1 million registered voters and comprise 15 to 20 per cent of Iraq’s population, say that they will also insist that the post of president or prime minister goes to a Kurd. The two top positions in Iraq’s interim government are held at present by a Shia Muslim and a Sunni Arab.

Kurds were also voting in large numbers in local elections in the disputed, oil-rich city of Kirkuk, where they have been engaged in a potentially explosive power struggle with Arabs and ethnic Turks.

Fouad Fattah, a 29-year-old policeman, said: “I hope the Kurds get a great number of votes so that we can rule ourselves. We would love to be in the government.”

Mohamed Selin, 34, a shopkeeper, said: “I’ve never felt such joy. After decades of suffering and injustice, our people cannot believe this is happening — I will be celebrating all day.”

Khadija Chalabi, 100, made the journey from her mountain village accompanied by her two grandsons.

Raad, 19, one of her grandsons, said: “She told us that as long as she is alive she must vote for the Kurdish people. Every single vote is important.”

“God willing, Kirkuk will be part of Kurdistan,” Hamid Najimi, 40, a policeman, said as he cast his vote for the Kurdish list. “We’ve been fighting for over 50 years for the sake of Kirkuk. We’re not going to lose it now.”

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