Iraq's Turkmens to vote for 'peace and stability'

Iraqi people will go to the polls on April 30 to participate in the first national election since the U.S. troops withdrew from the country in 2011. Although the voting will take place amid violence and sectarian strife that has claimed thousands of lives, Iraqi Turkmens hope the country will not be dragged into a full sectarian war with the upcoming general elections.

"Together we can reform the political process because in the current condition we cannot move. We have to make a change on the basis of cooperation to meet the expectation of our people," said Aydin Beyatli, secretary general of the Federation of Turkmeneli Associations.

The upcoming parliamentary polls, in which 20 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, will come amid an uptick in militant attacks in the northern and western parts of the country, which have also spilled over into Baghdad.

Describing the upcoming elections as an "historic threshold" for the Iraqi Turkmens, Beyatli said there was hope to bring democracy, peace, stability, and prosperity to Iraq. "Turkmens must vote, it is crucial. We need more Turkmen participation to the polls to send more MPs to the parliament," Beyatli told Anadolu Agency.

He said the upcoming elections had not only domestic but also international importance. "Those who do not want peace in the Turkmen region have increased the number of terrorist actions and kidnapping."