Movement for Change

For other topics with similar names, see Movement for Change (disambiguation).

Movement for Change Bzutinewey‌ Gorran بزوتنه‌وه‌ی‌ گۆڕان
Leader	Nawshirwan Mustafa
Founded	2009
Split from	Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Headquarters	Sulaymaniyah, Iraqi Kurdistan
Ideology	Secularism Kurdish nationalism
Political position	Center
Colors	Blue
Council of Representatives of Iraq	9 / 325
Kurdistan Parliament	24 / 111
Website
gorran.net
Politics of Iraq Political parties Elections

The Movement for Change (Kurdish: Bizûtinewey‌ Gorran‎, Kurdish: بزووتنەوەی گۆڕان‎‎) also known as Change List (Kurdish: Lîstî Gorran‎) or Gorran ("Change") is an Iraqi Kurdish political party under the leadership of Nawshirwan Mustafa, founded in 2009 it is the official opposition to the ruling two-party coalition of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (Kurdistan List) which governs the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Formation

According to the BBC Gorran had "already shaken the political landscape in Kurdish areas" in March 2010. Support for the Movement for Change "stems from the simple fact that it is the new, dynamic, fresh option in Kurdistan" and its "calls for an end to monopoly control of power". One of Gorran's main objectives is to "uproot rampant corruption". The party is particularly popular with the youth of Kurdistan and campaigns against patronage. It consists of a mix of (former) PUK/KDP members, Peshmerga, and academics. Gorran supporters have often faced "violent intimidation". Gorran have stated in The Economist that "the KDP and PUK have done a poor job of promoting the Kurds’ interests at the federal parliament in Baghdad". The party in the 2009 and 2010 elections "won in the city and the province of Sulaimaniyah".

History

Iraqi Kurdistan parliamentary election, 2009

Main article: Iraqi Kurdistan parliamentary election, 2009

The movement's platform for the 2009 election was to de-politicise the regional government, strengthen the judiciary, limit political interference in the economy and make the budget more transparent. Supporting federalism for Iraqi Kurdistan, it said disputes with the central government could be solved through dialogue based on the Iraqi Constitution.

Jwamer Mustafa then Gorran spokesmen quoted in Newsweek in 2009 elections as saying "We will campaign on an anti-corruption, public-services, and infrastructure agenda, across all the region—not only in Gorran's stronghold, Sulaymaniyah, but also in the neighboring provinces of Erbil and Duhok"

The Change List won a total of 25 seats in the July 2009 elections, making it the second-most successful list in the election after the Kurdistani List. The party viewed the election results as a huge victory.

Iraqi parliamentary election, 2010

Main article: Iraqi parliamentary election, 2010

Considered to be the main opposition to Kurdistan List, particularly in areas dominated by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The campaign focused on addressing what it sees as corruption undertaken by the Kurdistan Democratic Paty and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. It managed to win eight seats.

2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq

Main article: 2011 Kurdish protests in Iraq

In 2011 the party called for the resignation of the Cabinet and the disbanding of the Kurdistan Regional Government during the protests in Kurdistan that followed the 2011 Egyptian protests. This was accompanied by protests against the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. Some have criticized the party for causing unnecessary unrest, arguing that there is no need for the Kurdish government to step down. Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have urged protests to be allowed. February 17, 2011, Human Rights Watch reported security guards firing on protesters in Sulaimaniya, killing at least one person and wounding more than 33 others after the crowd threw rocks at the political headquarters of the KDP. On February 16, Iraqi police in Kut, southeast of Baghdad, opened fire on angry, rock throwing demonstrators outside the governorate of Wasit province, killing three and wounding more than 50, according to various news reports and a protest organizer. Since there were shootings which led to deaths, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called for an independent investigation into the killings.

Party Structure

General Coordinator

The office of the general coordinator is held by the most senior party official, it is currently held by Nawshirwan Mustafa who is the founder of the Movement for Change and Co-Founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan

National Assembly

The National Assembly (Jivat) which is the movements leadership body includes the general coordinator, the leaders of Gorran blocs in Iraqi and Kurdish parliaments, leaders of the different Gorran chambers, district officials and representatives who were successful in Gorran’s internal elections

Name	Position
Nawshirwan Mustafa	General coordinator of Gorran
Chia Nawshirwan Mustafa	Head of Strategy Chamber
Sarkawt Hassan Jalal (Kubba)	Head of Gorran Sulaymaniyah Governorate
Birzo Majeed	Head of Gorran Erbil Governorate
Dilman Lawak	Head of Gorran Dohuk Governorate
Mustafa Said Qadir	Finance & administration chamber
Mohammad Tofiq Rahim	Foreign Relations chamber
Kawa Abdullah	Head provincial council Sulaymaniyah faction
Jalal Jawher	Political relations chamber
Omar Said Ali	Parliamentary factions chamber
Jamal Muhammed	Political chamber
Aras Wali	Kurds abroad chamber
Hakim Rushdie	Legal research chamber
Ali Muhammed Salih	Economic research chamber
Salah Rashid	Coordination chamber
Sardar Abdullah	Head parliamentary faction Iraq assembly
Kardo Muhammed	Head parliamentary faction Kurdistan assembly
Aram Shekh Muhammed	Head of Election Chamber
Yusif Mohammed Sadeq	Political research chamber
Hoshyar Abdullah	Media chamber

External links

• (Kurdish) (Arabic) (English)