9th Anniversary of the Decision to Hold the Kurdistan Independence Referendum

ARK News.. Today, Sunday, June 7, 2026, marks the ninth anniversary of one of the most significant strategic decisions in the modern history of the Kurdish people: the decision to hold the Kurdistan independence referendum.

On June 7, 2017, during an expanded meeting chaired by Masoud Barzani and attended by the overwhelming majority of political parties in the Kurdistan Region, a decision was made to set September 25, 2017, as the date on which the people of Kurdistan would cast their votes to determine their future through a referendum on self-determination.

That day brought together a broad spectrum of political forces, including the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Islamic and national parties, as well as representatives of various ethnic and religious communities under the umbrella of the Supreme Referendum Council.

The central message behind the decision was that, after nine decades of constitutional violations and unmet commitments by Baghdad, the time had come for the people of Kurdistan to express their will through the ballot box.

Despite mounting international pressure and threats from neighboring countries, including border closures and military exercises, Masoud Barzani, the leading advocate of the referendum process, repeatedly emphasized during diplomatic engagements and public gatherings that the referendum was a natural and legitimate right of the people of Kurdistan. He argued that no alternative framework could adequately guarantee Kurdish rights and stressed that the decision should be driven by the will of the people rather than external pressure.

This determination ultimately led to a historic national mobilization on September 25, 2017, encompassing both the Kurdistan Region and Kurdish areas located outside the region's administrative boundaries.

The results reflected that popular will, with more than 92 percent of voters supporting independence. According to international observers, the voting process was conducted in a transparent and democratic manner, in line with internationally recognized standards.

Nine years later, the decision taken on June 7, 2017, is widely regarded as a historic turning point through which the Kurdish people demonstrated that, despite political and economic pressures, their aspiration to secure their legitimate rights remains steadfast. The referendum continues to stand as an enduring legal and political document in the historical record of the Kurdish nation.

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