LONDON, United Kingdom – British-Kurdish MP Nadhim Zahawi for Stratford-upon-Avon has been reelected in Thursday’s snap elections, as two other Kurdish candidates failed to make it to the House of Commons.
Nationwide, with only few seats yet to be declared, the results show that Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative party has failed to secure an overall majority, expected to win 318 seats resulting in a hung parliament.
It is an embarrassing performance for PM May who called the snap elections hoping that she would get an even stronger majority in the commons, mainly to lead strong negotiations with the European Union over Britain leaving the bloc.
The leader of the opposition party Jeremy Corbyn whose party is predicted to win 262 seats called on May to resign. But May has refused his call as she promised “a period of stability.”
Zahawi, a conservative candidate, received 33, 657 votes, well ahead of his main Labour rival Jeff Kenner who received about a third of his votes.
Zahawi had told the local media that he is more than happy to serve in a cabinet position should PM May finds him fit, even for a junior ministerial position.
Zahawi has been an MP since 2010 becoming the first British-Kurd to make it to the legislature.
Ibrahim Dogus, another Kurdish candidate on Labour ticket for Cities of London and Westminster came second to his conservative rival Mark Field, and Laween Atroshi, again a Labour candidate for Surrey Heath also came second losing to the conservative Michael Gove.
Jeremy Corbyn, a long-time campaigner for the rights of the Kurdish people, discussed his foreign policy intentions regarding the Kurds during the campaign, saying that Syria and any settlement in the Middle East must include recognition of the rights and needs of the Kurdish people.
Corbyn said in May that he had visited all parts of Kurdistan over the years and witnessed that the “Kurdish people have been very, very badly treated.”
He said he would stand strong against Turkey in particular if he was elected the leader of the government, especially with respect to the arms sale to the Turkish government amidst continued violation of human rights.
from Rudaw http://ift.tt/2sJGvzo
via Defense News
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