Goran

The Kurdish word for “change,” and the name of a political party in the region.

The Economist reported recently:

As Iraq’s Kurds prepare to vote on July 25th for a regional assembly and a president, the buzzword is Goran, meaning change. It is also the name of a new movement that is trying to defeat – or at least to dent – the two parties that came into their own when the Kurds won self-rule in 1991.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (K.D.P.) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (P.U.K.) have dominated Kurdish politics since 1991, according toNewsweek:

The two groups were once deadly adversaries, but over the years their relationship has grown cozy to the point where they run as partners, with a single unified slate of candidates known as the Kurdistani List. They steamrolled the opposition that way four years ago, and they’re trying it again this year. Party leaders say the purpose is to “maintain continuity.” Other Kurds believe the real point is to perpetuate the K.D.P.–P.U.K. machine and its control over the oil-rich northern Iraqi enclave.

Goran is led by a former leader of the P.U.K., Nawshirwan Mustafa, who, according to Newsweek, “says he quit his old party in frustration over several issues: the K.D.P.–P.U.K. stranglehold on power, the failure to provide services to the region’s people, and the pursuit of policies that enrich party bosses and their friends.” Goran has based its election bid on a platform of anti-corruption and reform. Its campaign logo announces “Change is on the way.”

According to The Economist:

The elections promise to be the most hotly contested during the Kurds’ current golden era of autonomy. As Change’s campaign gathers pace, its name and logo, an orange candle on a dark-blue background, is emblazoned on buses, taxis, T-shirts, baseball caps and balloons. The movement is on a roll. Whether this translates into votes in a society where patronage and clan loyalties still largely hold sway is not yet clear.

See also: Ma Mitavanim.