Iraq: Two Kurdish parties reject vote results

By Mazin Majeed and Asaad Baqal

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) – Two Kurdish parties on Monday rejected the results of last month’s parliamentary election in northern Iraq’s Kurdish regional administration.

In a statement, the Gorran movement claimed that thousands of ID cards were issued on the vote day.

The movement said the results of the Sept. 30 polls were announced three weeks after the vote in an attempt to change the voter turnout, going on to vow to pursue legal measures to challenge the poll results.

The Kurdistan Islamic Union (Yekgirtu) also rejected the election results, accusing the governing parties of rigging the vote.

According to the final results, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 45 seats in the 111-member parliament in the Kurdish region.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) came second with 21 seats and Gorran movement third with 12 seats, according to the local election commission.

Some 29 parties and coalitions had vied for 111 assembly seats in the parliamentary polls, the first to be held in the Kurdish region since the defeat of the Daesh terrorist group last year.

The parliamentary polls are held every four years in the Kurdish region.

*Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara