Masoud Barzani congratulates people of Kurdistan on successful elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), has congratulated the people of Kurdistan on a successful election process after preliminary results for the Sept. 30 vote were revealed on Thursday.

The Kurdistan Region’s Independent High Election and Referendum Commission (IHERC) announced the preliminary results of 85 percent of the ballots, with the KDP leading the way having received 595,592 votes, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 287,575, and Gorran with 164,336.

“On the occasion of the successful Kurdistan parliamentary election process, we congratulate all the people of Kurdistan,” Barzani said in a statement published on his website, also congratulating his party’s supporters.

The KDP leader underlined the importance of citizens participating “in a democratic process,” adding that “the ballot boxes [are] the most appropriate way to trade power.”

“The success of the electoral process is the success of all the people of Kurdistan,” Barzani stated. “The development of political awareness among the people has a significant impact on raising the reputation and status of the Kurdistan Region.”

The Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election kicked off on Sept. 30 for over three million voters, the first regional elections since the defeat of the so-called Islamic State.

During a press conference in Erbil on Thursday, IHERC spokesperson Sherwan Zrar said the Election Commission had received 1,045 complaints related to voting which the Commission is currently investigating.

In his statement, Barzani called on the IHERC “to follow up these complaints accurately and seriously,” and to be transparent and prevent any violations.

According to Zrar, once the investigations into the complaints are over, the Commission will announce the complete results, and there might be a change in the outcomes.