"Where are we going", Sherko asked his mother, Fatima. "We will vote today," she responded quietly. Sherko, an eight-year-old boy and a second-grade student, recalled that his teacher said something about today's voting during class yesterday. Just like other students, he know that voting must be a very important event.

The political parties in Kurdistan-Iraq converted circles located at street intersections as sites for campaigning. During the three weeks leading up to the election, Sherko had enjoyed watching the campaign. Each circle in his city, Sulaymania, was decorated with pictures, flags, and colorful banners. The men and women in charge of the circles gave candies and cookies to those stopping by as they greeted each potential voter. Sherko was lucky because there were three large circles close to his house. He visited each circle daily, collecting sweets. Receiving free sweets reminded him of Eids, the Muslim holy celebration in which every family prepares some kind of sweets and distributes them to children. However, during the previous two years Eids had not been happy occasions for Sherko because his father had not earned any money and the family could not afford cookies and clothes. After the election, his mother had promised, he would have new clothes.

Sherko also enjoyed listening to music played over loud-speakers and watching Kurdish traditional dancing. Chape'a. He memorized some songs and started learning to dance. However, the dancers would not allow him to join them because he might disturb the dance's harmony and order. As they approached the polling place, Ahmed, Sherko's father, carried his two-year-old daughter, Nasrine. Ahmed walked faster than Sherko and Fatima, slowing every few minutes to ask them to hurry. The day was already hot, and Ahmed wanted to arrive early so that he and his family would not have to wait a long time.

Although Ahmed had heard on the radio that the Iraqi government would consider those who participated in the election traitors and severely punish them, he listened to the Kurdish leaders who urged residents of the region to vote as a "national duty". Along with Ahmed, his family and relatives were participating in the election despite the government's threat.

Ahmed and many others had already paid a price for their Kurdish patriotism. When the Iraqi government withdrew from the Kurdish region in October 1991, they ordered government employees in Arbil, Dihok, and Sulaymania to leave for Kirkuk or Mosul, which were under Iraq's control. The government stopped paying wages to those who decided to stay in Kurdistan. During the past six months, Ahmed had received one month's salary. Further, the money was not worth much because of 3,000 percent inflation. He had been forced to sell his car to raise money. However, he looked forward to a more prosperous day because the Kurdish leaders had promised that the economic crisis and administration vacuum would be solved after the election.

Fatima's bright and colorful dress -- dominated by green, red, and yellow -- was sewn new for the occasion. Although the women of Sulaymania typically dressed in bright colors, Fatima had not worn new clothes since April 1991 as a sign of mourning. In April of that year, she lost her six- year old daughter, A'shty, when Kurds fled Sulaymania during the mass exodus following the Gulf War. On the Iraq-Iran border, A'shty because sick and died because there was no medicine. As she walked toward the voting place, Fatima recalled the pain and starvation during the exodus. As the family buried A'shty, Fatima had sworn that she would never return to be ruled by Saddam's regime. When the Kurdish parties called for an election to replace Saddam's government in the region, she supported them and joined one of the women's organizations to help the election go forward. Ahmed and Fatima were not entirely sure that the election would take place today, May 22, 1992. It had already been postponed once, from May 19, because of technical error. The postponement had caused confusion and suspicion among the people, who feared that the Kurdish leaders might cancel the voting after receiving threats from the governments of Iran, Syria, Turkey and Iraq. These stated rejected the idea of holding elections in Kurdistan, and their media reported that they would not recognize the election results. There was also speculation that perhaps Kurdish politicians could not agree on certain election law procedures and therefore would cancel the vote. Ahmed asked Fatima if she had heard anything new about the election. She shook her head, "no," and they continued walking toward the election center, interrupted now and then by Sherko's excited outbursts whenever he saw colorful decorations.

By seven o'clock that morning, the family arrived at the election center, an elementary school surrounded by a long line of people. Ahmed estimated that there were already 200 families in line and asked his wife: "When did these people leave their houses to come?" "Probably before sunrise," she answered. As Sherko eased away to play with the other children, his parents talked to family members who had also gathered to vote. Soon, the mood resembled that of social celebration. One man remarked: "We need some music to start dancing". Ahmed laughed and said: "Maybe we'll dance after the election."

After waiting in line for three hours, Ahmed's family reached the entrance. Fatima, still smiling and talking to the other women, was carrying Nasrine who was tired and hungry. Ahmed held Sherko's hand and asked his son to behave well once they were in the building. As they neared the polling place, Ahmed and Fatima became more and more excited since this was the first time either of them had voted. Ahmed and Fatima had discussed the election at length int he preceding weeks. They decided to vote for the same political party and leader although it was not an easy decision. There were seven political parties competing for parliament seats and four candidates for the leadership position. Ahmed and Fatima did not belong to a political party, but they had relatives and friends in these parties.

Ahmed had though deeply about the competing political parties and leaders, but when he examined political speeches, he found little difference among them. For Ahmed, the most important aspect of the election was that it be carried out peacefully and successfully. He had heard that there would be election observers from the United States and Europe, but he still worried that the losing party might not accept the election results. He hoped that the crises endured by the Kurds in the previous five years had taught the Kurdish parties that their unity was to be the overriding objective.

There were only two families ahead of Ahmed when a man walked in and asked them to step back. Everybody turned to the entrance, where they saw a young man carrying an old handicapped man on his back. The old man, probably in his eighties, asked officials if he could vote without waiting in line. The officials and voters in line honored the old man's request. The man's grandson, who carried him into the room, told the official that the family disapproved of the old man's participating in the election because of his poor health. But the grandfather, who had taken part in Sheikh Mahmmud's independence movement in the 1920's, insisted on sharing this historic event with this children and grandchildren.

Everyone in the room felt proud of the old man. A chair was provided for him to sit in, and he was allowed to move ahead in line. After he voted, he hugged and shook hands with everyone. With tears in his eyes, he said: "Long live Kurdistan. Now I am a free man."

It took Ahmed and Fatima 10 minutes to case their vote. When Sherko asked, "Baba, can I vote?" the room filled with laughter.

"No," Ahmed answered. "You have to be 18 years old." In the spirit of the day, an election official gave a card to Sherko, telling him to fill it in and give it to his teacher the next day.

On their way back home, Ahmed asked Fatima: "Did you understand what the old man said before he left?"

"Yes," she said. "I feel free for the first time in my life."

"We will stay free as long as we continue to elect our leaders," said her husband.

NAMAH, Spring, 1995, Vol III, No. 1, pps. 8-9.