PM Masrour Barzani congratulates Iraqi PM on early Iraqi elections

“We emphasised the importance of investigating every and all violations and complaints. Every vote counts."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/10/10 19:47

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani raises his inked finger after casting his vote in Erbil, Oct. 10, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Iraq Election 2021 Iraq Masrour Barzani PM Barzani

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Prime Minister Masrour Barzani spoke with Prime Minister Mustafa Kadhimi on Sunday evening to congratulate him for delivering on his promise to facilitate early elections.

“We emphasised the importance of investigating every and all violations and complaints. Every vote counts. He and I also agreed that trust in the country’s political process depends on timely and transparent investigations,” Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement.

“I am confident he will continue to serve the country in this transition period until a new government has been appointed, and I have assured him of our continued support.”

Today, regardless of which candidate you voted for, we move forward as Kurdistanis. When appropriate, I will engage with all parties to ensure stability and defend our rights in Baghdad. My statement on the Iraqi elections -mb.https://t.co/P4vuJBxmhd
— Masrour Barzani (@masrour_barzani) October 10, 2021

The Kurdish premier also said he was “humbled by the peaceful turnout in today’s federal parliamentary elections. I want to thank everyone who turned out to vote in today’s democratic process, from the Kurdistan Region, the disputed territories and Iraq as a whole.”

“Your vote reflects more than a civic duty – it is a solemn call to defend the rights of the Kurdistani people within the Iraqi Constitution.”

Barzani also expressed concerns that armed groups operating outside the law prevented locals from voting in the disputed territories.

“This is unacceptable and a clear violation of the democratic right to vote in free and fair elections.”

Reports earlier today claimed that in the Yezidi (Ezidi) area of Sinjar voters were prevented from casting their ballots.

The prime minister also thanked the Peshmerga and the police “for the permissive atmosphere they guaranteed for voters, candidates, observers and monitors in this campaign.”

“They are our heroes and without them peaceful elections like today’s could not take place.”

He also thanked the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) for its hard work to deliver these elections on time “despite reports of technical setbacks that cost votes.”

Some elderly voters had difficulty voting since the biometric machines were not able to read their fingerprints. However, the IHEC later said technical issues that restricted some of the voters from casting their ballots had been fully resolved.

Now that Iraq's general voting in the early legislative elections has ended, Prime Minister Barzani urged the winning candidates and the “political parties to put aside their differences, champion unity, focus on the needs and rights of the Kurdistani people and strengthen the status of the Kurdistan Region in Baghdad.”

“When appropriate, I will engage with all the parties to ensure stability; I look forward to working with them to defend Kurdistani rights in Baghdad,” he concluded.