Kurdish politics began to advance more in the 1990s. Before the 1990s, the Kurds struggled to gain constitutional power of their people. They perferred to live by the governing power of smaller clans of people. The laws and ideals changed from group to group of Kurds, depending on where they lived. In 1992 the KRG ( Kurdistan Regional Government) was formed in Erbil. It has a parliament and a cabinet. The parliament is based on popular vote, while as the cabinet is comprised of the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party), PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), and others. The KRG has a prime minister, Nechervan Idris Barzani. He has been the prime minister since the beginning of 1999.
The KRG has some governing power of certain areas of Kurdish populated areas. These areas are Erbil, Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniyah provinces. The KRG has constitutional power in these provinces. It also has some constitutional in several other provinces.
The Kurds have a large variety of political organizations.
This is short list of a few of the Kurdish organizations in different countries and continents around the world:
Europe
* Kurdish PEN
* Kurdish Cultural Centre in London (KCC)
* Kurdish Student Academic Association (KSAF) in Sweden
North America
*Washington Kurdish Institute (WKI) * Kurdish American Youth Organization (KAYO) * American-Kurdish Information Network (AKIN)
* Kurdish National Congress of North America (KNC)
Iraq
* Democratic National Union of Kurdistan (YNDK) * Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)
* Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)
Iran
* Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) * Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK)
