Kurdistan Regional
2 articles filed under this keyword.
The Sixth Parliamentary Election of Kurdistan: Results and Implications
Rostam Jabar Mustafa
Political geography examines all geographical factors that influence political decisions and changes, including the analysis and distribution of power among parties and lists participating in the electoral process. Parliament is a national institution that plays a vital role in strengthening the political process of the Kurdistan region and ensuring the rights and duties of its inhabitants the sixth term of Kurdistan Parliament represents a major change in the parliament's history regarding the electoral system, reduction in parliamentary seats, distribution of seats across electoral districts, and the reorganization of ethnic minority quotas. The election system changed from a single constituency to a multiple constituency system. Based on Kurdistan Region's provinces, parliamentary seats were divided into four electoral districts (Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and Halabja). The number of parliamentary seats was reduced from 111 to 100, and the ethnic minority quota system was reorganized from 11 seats to 5 seats, distributed across the electoral districts. Since the first parliamentary election, voter turnout has consistently declined, from 87.4% in the first term to 59% in the fifth term - a decrease of 28.4%. However, voter turnout in this sixth parliamentary term increased to 72%, demonstrating Kurdistan Region citizens' renewed trust in this national institution. This is considered an important turning point for the Kurdistan Region, enabling parliament to become a decision-making center and a strong pillar of national security.
Volume 9 · Issue 2 · March 2022The Impacts of Filtering in Social Media Facebook on Users in the Kurdistan Region
Awara Haji Kheder, Saman Jalal Mawlood
Social media has prevailed over conventional media and it has impacted the society enormously. This research investigates the impacts of filtering in social media platform of Facebook. Filtering is argued to have positive influences on the quality of media productions. The main objective of the research is to scrutinize the effects of filtering in Facebook. The problem of this research is that Facebook users are overwhelmed by a flood of false and perilous information that come to them through unfiltered social media platforms. The significance of the work lies in its attempt to eradicate all the messages that get disseminated irresponsibly in social media. Methodologically, the study employed a descriptive method by conducting an online survey in the four governorates of the Kurdistan Region. Furthermore, a three-point Correct spelling scale is used in the research. A sample of (N 284) journalists from Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok and Halabja was selected for the empirical data collection process. Findings indicate that majority of journalists believe that filtering is a necessity in Facebook and filtering is an effective tool to end humiliation and disrespect in social media in the Kurdistan Region.