KDP, PUK welcome results of Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections despite divide

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The winning parties of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections on Sunday welcomed the confirmation of the final results, stating the door is open to negotiations as the Kurdish factions will now work to form a new government.

The electoral commission late Saturday evening announced the official results of the regional parliamentary election. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) lead the polls by a large margin, securing 45 seats out of a total 111 seats available, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), with 21 seats.

“Beyond wanting to secure more seats in parliament, we wanted the electoral process to successfully promote a positive image of the Kurdistan Region [internationally] and preserve its democratic status… We, therefore, accept these results,” Khasro Goran, the head of the KDP’s election office, told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday.

He revealed the KDP had lost some 50,000 votes as the commission canceled ballot boxes that may have been tampered with, according to other parties. “Nevertheless, we accept these results, taking the current situation in the Kurdistan Region into consideration,” he said referencing the current political tensions. 

The KDP won 38 seats in the 2013 election and has now secured seven additional seats.

In a separate statement, the President of the KDP, Masoud Barzani, congratulated the people of the Kurdistan Region and KDP supporters on “a successful election” and on the party’s victory.

He called for the establishment of “a strong government and a strong Kurdistan” to serve the people.

Barzani also called on parties to preserve Kurdish unity, and prioritize the interests of the people.

I congratulate the Kurdistani peoples for today’s election results. You made your voice heard; you rewarded KDP as the party that leads by principles and patriotism. l thank KDP’s team and tireless campaign volunteers for giving everything for a better future- mb.

— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) October 21, 2018

Masrour Barzani, Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) and a member of the KDP politburo, also released a statement and congratulated the people of the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Region held its regional parliamentary election on Sep. 30, the first since the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq.

In a press conference, the spokesperson of the PUK, Saadi Pira stated that his party agreed to approve the results of the elections “considering the interests of people.”

“Now, our door is open for talks to form the new government and cabinet.”

He mentioned that almost all parties in the Kurdistan Region have expressed concerns regarding the results of the election, “as always,” but that “we, as a party, cannot wait for a miracle.”

Pira added that rejecting the results of the elections would worsen the situation, notably as voter turnout was relatively low and political tensions are negatively affecting the people of the region.

The PUK, in 2013, won 18 seats but have now increased their number of seats to 21.

Kurdistan 24 has learned that out of nine commissioners with the Kurdistan Region’s Independent High Election and Referendum Commission (IHERC), only five of them had approved the results.

Editing by Nadia Riva