Kurds gain majority votes in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Tuesday announced the preliminary results, roughly 94% of the total ballots, of the provincial council election held on Monday.

The Kurdish parties collected a total of about 217,000 votes compared to the Arab parties, which received roughly 203,000 votes. Meanwhile, the Turkman parties collected 93,000 votes.

Preliminary results indicate that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) list in Kirkuk received nearly 47,000 votes.

Meanwhile, over 139,000 votes were cast for a Kirkuk coalition consisting of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Communist Party.

Moreover, the Kurdistan Region’s New Generation Movement won over 24,000 votes, and the Kirkuk Torch Coalition, composed of the Kurdistan Islamic Union and Kurdistan Justice Group, won nearly 7,000 votes.

There were about 46,000 votes for Uruba (The Arabism of Kirkuk), over 98,000 votes for the Arab Coalition, and over 59,000 votes for the Leadership Alliance.

Among the Turkmen parties, the Turkmen Front received over 72,000 votes, and Kirkukina received 21,000 votes.

66% of eligible Kirkuk residents participated in the Iraqi provincial elections, according to the country's IHEC. 

Furthermore, 41% of eligible voters across Iraq, minus the Kurdistan Region, participated in the country's provincial elections. 

Editing by Dastan Muwaffaq