What to expect from the referendums in Iraq and Spain

Referendums are beginning to become a mechanism for governments to try solving controversial issues in societies. It is difficult to suggest, however, that they are effectively resolving differences of opinion. They often end up with very close results, such as "50 plus versus 50 minus" and create further polarization in the societies they are held.

Recent examples, such as the Scottish Independence referendum in 2014, the "Brexit" referendum in the United Kingdom in 2016 and the Turkish referendum in 2017 on creating a presidential system in the country have produced more questions than answers to the issues they tried to address.

In Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is planning to hold a referendum on Sept. 25, to ask the question of whether the people living there support independence. In Spain, the regional government in Catalonia is planning a similar referendum with the same question on Oct. 1, too. These two referendums are likely to create further controversies in Iraq and in Spain. It is inevitable, therefore, to question whether they will solve the questions they intend to or create further confusions, tensions and polarizations.

In Iraq, the constitution was approved by the public in October 2005. This constitution created a federal system, legally establishing the KRG in the northern part of the country. There were unresolved issues, such as the distribution and sharing of revenues from exports of hydrocarbon resources, the finalization of disputed administrative borders, particularly in and around Kirkuk. The latter was addressed in article 140 of the constitution, which envisaged a referendum on the issue until Dec. 31, 2007. 

This referendum, depicted as a legal obligation in Iraq's constitution, never...