At a Glance

• A signature campaign to establish Slemani Governorate as an autonomous region is set to begin.

• Activists and civil society organizations are behind the effort.

• It launches Sunday morning at two locations in the city.

Information obtained by Channel8 shows that activists and several organizations will launch a petition drive on Sunday, November 15, calling for Slemani Governorate to be declared an autonomous region.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Activist on the Campaign: "We are announcing a campaign and will set up our tables at Bardarki Saray and in front of the Public Park at 10:00 AM on Sunday to declare an autonomous region for Sulaymaniyah Governorate." — Bekhal Sabir Penjweni, activist.

• Activist on Its Nature: "This campaign is far removed from regionalism and partisanship." — Bekhal Sabir Penjweni.

• Focus Area: The launch of a public petition to establish an autonomous region in Slemani Governorate.

Tables will be set up at 10:00 AM at Bardarki Sara and in front of the Slemani Public Park.

Signature collection will also be carried out across the Raparin and Garmian independent administrations and various towns by activists from civil society organizations.

Citizens can express their views by signing the petition, and anyone who signs is supporting the establishment of an autonomous region for the governorate.

FYI

Slemani, along with Raparin and Garmian, is administered separately from the Kurdistan Regional Government's central structures under local arrangements often called independent administrations.

Calls for greater autonomy for the governorate come amid political tensions between the Region's main parties, including disputes over the Kurdistan Parliament's reactivation.

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