Movement for Change
Encyclopedia
The Movement for Change also known as Change List or Gorran is a reformist 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
which governs the Kurdistan Regional Government
.
"Gorran has already shaken the political landscape in Kurdish areas". Support for the Movement for Change "stems from the simple fact that it is the new, dynamic, fresh option in Kurdistan" and it's "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 broadly speaking consists of disenchanted (former) PUK/KDP members, Peshmerga
and academics. Gorran supporters have often faced "violent intimidation". Gorran have stated in the 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 the in city and the province of Sulaimaniyah".
for Iraqi Kurdistan, it said disputes with the central government could be solved through dialogue based on the Iraqi Constitution.
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 views the election results as a huge victory.
during the protests in Kurdistan that followed the 2011 Egyptian protests. This was accompanied by protests against 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 for the protests to be allowed and for an independent investigation into the killings to be made.
Nawshirwan Mustafa
Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :...
, founded in 2009 it is the official opposition to the ruling two-party coalition of the Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan is a Kurdish political party in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was founded on June 1, 1975, by coordinations between Jalal Talabani and Nawshirwan Mustafa...
which governs the Kurdistan Regional Government
Kurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
.
Formation
According to the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
"Gorran has already shaken the political landscape in Kurdish areas". Support for the Movement for Change "stems from the simple fact that it is the new, dynamic, fresh option in Kurdistan" and it's "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 broadly speaking consists of disenchanted (former) PUK/KDP members, Peshmerga
Peshmerga
Peshmerga or Peshmerge is the term used by Kurds to refer to armed Kurdish fighters. Literally meaning "those who face death" the Peshmerga forces of Kurdistan have been in existence since the advent of the Kurdish independence movement in the early 1920s, following the collapse of the Ottoman...
and academics. Gorran supporters have often faced "violent intimidation". Gorran have stated in the The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
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 the in city and the province of Sulaimaniyah".
2009 Kurdistan Elections
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 federalismFederalism in Iraq
The Constitution of Iraq that was adopted in 2005 defined Iraq for the first time as a federal country.-History:After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in 1919, Iraq became a League of Nations mandate under temporary British control. Mahmud Barzanji led a Kurdish revolt against the British and in...
for Iraqi Kurdistan, it said disputes with the central government could be solved through dialogue based on the Iraqi Constitution.
The Change List won a total of 25 seats in the July 2009 elections
Iraqi Kurdistan legislative election, 2009
The Iraqi Kurdistan legislative elections of 2009 took place on 25 July 2009. A total of 2.5 million citizens of Iraqi Kurdistan were eligible to vote for the parliamentary and presidential elections. People currently living outside Iraqi Kurdistan were not allowed to vote. The elections followed...
, making it the second-most successful list in the election after the Kurdistani List. The party views the election results as a huge victory.
2010 Iraqi General Elections
Considered to be the main opposition to the KDP-PUK alliance, particularly in PUK dominated areas. Most of its members, including the leader Nawshirwan Mustafa, are ex-PUK officials. It is running mainly to address what it sees as corruption undertaken by the KDP and PUK, It took eight seats.2011 Sulaymaniyah protests
In 2011 the party called for the resignation of the Cabinet and the disbanding of the Kurdistan Regional GovernmentKurdistan Regional Government
The Kurdistan Regional Government , , is the official ruling body of the predominantly Kurds-populated Kurdistan Region in Northern Iraq...
during the protests in Kurdistan that followed the 2011 Egyptian protests. This was accompanied by protests against 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
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
and the Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...
have urged for the protests to be allowed and for an independent investigation into the killings to be made.
Notable members
| Name | Position | Note |
| Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :... |
Leader of Gorran | Founder of the Movement for Change and Co-Founder of the PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... |
| Dr. Zana Raouf | Head of Gorran in the Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... Governorate |
Former Member of Parliament and University Lecturer |
| Yusif Mohammed Sadeq | Head of Gorran's Political Research Centre | University Lecturer |
| Dr. Shaho Sa'ed | Official Party Spokesmen | Former Member of Parliament and University Lecturer |
| Rebin Ahmed Hardi | Special Advisor to Nawshirwan Mustafa | Journalist, Author and Son of Ahmad Hardi Ahmad Hardi Ahmad Hardi was a prominent Kurdish poet.He was born into an intellectual family in Sulaimaniya in Iraqi Kurdistan. He possessed a deep knowledge of classical Kurdish, Arabic and Persian poetry and has had an enduring influence on the modern Kurdish poetry... |
| Mohammad Tofiq Rahim | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... and Duhok |
Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member |
| Dana Ahmed Majid Dana ahmed majid Dana Ahmed Majid is an Iraqi politician, He was the Governor of Sulaymaniah and former head of Asayesh security forces of Iraq Kurdistan.-References:... |
Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... |
Former Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... Governor |
| Chia Nawshiwan Mustafa | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... and Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... |
Envoy to the Chairman and Son of Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :... |
| Omar Said Ali | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... |
Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member |
| Qadir Hagi Ali | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... |
Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member |
| Nma Nawshirwan Mustafa | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... and Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... |
Son of Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :... |
| Mustafa Said Qadir | Prominent Activist - Ranya | Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member and KRG Minister of the Peshmerga |
| Jalal Jawher | Prominent Activist - Kirkuk Kirkuk Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad... |
Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member |
| Osman Hagi Mahmud | Prominent Activist - Kalar Kalar Kalar can refer to:*Kalar, Iraq*Kalar, Ardabil, Iran*Kalwar, Indian caste... |
Former PUK PUK PUK may stand for:* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan * Partia e Unitetit Kombėtar * Pin Unlock Key used in GSM mobile phones* Prefectural University of KumamotoPuk may refer to:... Politburo Member and KRG Minister of the Interior |
| Mam Rostem | Prominent Activist - Kirkuk Kirkuk Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad... |
Veteran Peshmerga and General (Ret.) |
| Kurdo Kasim | Prominent Activist - Khanaqin Khanaqin Khanaqin is a city in Iraq. It is located at 34.3°N, 45.4°E in the Diyala Governorate, near the Iranian border on a tributary of the Diyala River... |
Veteran Peshmerga and General (Ret.) |
| Sarkawt Hassan Jalal (Kubba) | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... |
Veteran Peshmerga and Former Head of the Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... Asaish |
| Jwamer B Mustafa | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... and Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... |
Former Spokesman and Nephew of Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa Nawshirwan Mustafa in Sulaymaniyah Kurdistan is the chairman of the Movement for Change and the leader of the official opposition in the Kurdistan Region.- Early life :... |
| Safin Mala Qara | Prominent Activist - Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... |
Veteran Peshmerga and Former Head of the Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... Asaish |
| Osman Banimarani | Prominent Activist - Arbil Arbil Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul... |
Veteran Peshmerga and Former Member of Parliament |
| Salar Aziz | Prominent Activist - Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... |
Former Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah Sulaymaniyah is a city in Iraqi Kurdistan, Iraq. It is the capital of Sulaymaniyah Governorate. Sulaymaniyah is surrounded by the Azmar Range, Goizja Range and the Qaiwan Range in the north east, Baranan Mountain in the south and the Tasluje Hills in the west. The city has a semi-arid climate with... Governor |
| Sherzad Hafiz Sherzad Hafiz Sherzad Hafiz is a current Member of Parliament in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq for the Change List.... |
Member of Parliament | Former Peshmerga |
| Kwestan Abdullah | Member of Parliament | First Female Head of a Parliamentary Faction |