Syrian Kurds prepare census for elections in Rojava

[Anthea]

Syrian Kurds prepare census for eventual elections in Rojava
Reporting by: Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The Syrian Kurds are preparing a census upcoming Monday in the three cantons in preparation for holding elections, the Rojava Administration said.

“The census, to be held in Rojava for the federal system, will be a historical step. It could be supervised by international organizations and observers,” the Kurdish-led Rojava Administration said in a statement.

“The regulatory authority for the federal project in Rojava will hold the census in collaboration with Syrian Democratic Council,” the statement said.

The elections will take place after the census is finished and the data analyzed. Curfews will be declared for each area in Rojava and northern Syria, gathering information on population, age, ethnicity, economic and social status, and reasons for migration.

Syrian Kurds announced plans on 17 March to combine the three Kurdish-led autonomous areas of northern Syria into a federal system. They are planning to hold elections within a few months after the census.

Speaking to ARA News in Rumelan, Ahmed Araj, spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Alliance (SDA), said the “federal” project is the most suitable for northern Syria.

“The geographic distribution of the military forces in Syria indicates that the country has been actually divided up on the ground. The federal system is the best solution for the future of Syria to guarantee the rights of its social components,” Araj said.

According to the media office of the Regulatory Body of the Constituent Assembly of the Democratic Federal System in Rojava-Northern Syria, all parties will be welcome to participate, and all areas in northern Syria will be included in the new system.

“Turkish occupation will not affect the federal system, so the aim of the Turkish State is to occupy the region and bring back the history of Ottoman power,” the body said about the Euphrates Shield operation launched by Turkey and Turkish-backed rebels on 24 August. The Turkish forces now control the border area between Azaz and Jarabulus, after taking it from ISIS.

http://aranews.net/2016/09/syrian-kurds ... ns-rojava/