PM Masrour Barzani calls to respect Kurdistan's parliamentary elections results
Shafaq News/ Masrour Barzani, Kurdistan Region PrimeMinister said on Tuesday that the recent elections were essential for renewingthe mandate of the Kurdistan Region and its democratic process.
During a panel discussion on the sidelines of the MiddleEast Research Institute (MERI) Forum in Erbil, Barzani remarked that the electionswere initially due two years ago but were delayed for clear reasons, addingthat “the high voter turnout reflects the Kurdish people’s awareness andcommitment to democracy.”
Barzani expressed hope that all parties would accept andrespect the election results once they are officially announced, honoring thevoice of the people, noting a difference between expectations and reality, asthe election results represent the true will of the Kurdish people. Somepolitical parties had anticipated different outcomes and responded differentlyonce the results were announced, he pointed out.
Last week, Ali Babir, the Head of the Kurdistan IslamicJustice Group, announced his party's decision to abstain from participating inthe Kurdistan Region Parliament, declaring that his group was not 100%convinced of the integrity of the election results. At the same time, theleadership council of the Kurdistan Islamic Union announced on Saturday itsfirm decision to abstain from participating in the upcoming Kurdistan RegionalGovernment, while continuing its opposition stance within the KurdistanParliament.
Notably, Kurdistan’s sixth Parliamentary elections tookplace on October 20, where 1,091 candidates competed for 100 seats, five ofwhich were reserved for minority groups.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has emerged as theleading party with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement (Al-Jil Al-Jadeed-NGM) securing15 seats.
