Shfaq News/ The Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani praised the success of the parliamentary election in the Kurdistan Region, calling it a victory for the people of Kurdistan.
He expressed hope that the elections and their outcomes would bring "new hope and a new phase" for the Region.
In a statement, Barzani said, "Thank God, the election process of the sixth term of the Kurdistan Parliament ended successfully and the People of Kurdistan were able to vote in a free atmosphere."
He added, "The success of this process is certainly the success of the People of Kurdistan, including all the components and the political parties. ." He continued, "On this occasion, I would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the People of Kurdistan, members and supporters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and all the political parties.."
Barzani also thanked "Iraq and Kurdistan Election Commissions and all the relevant parties and security forces who together helped to make the election process in the Kurdistan Region successful. I hope that the election and its result will bring new hope and a new era that will be in the interest of all People of Kurdistan."
Polling stations closed their doors at 06:00 p.m. on Sunday, marking the end of voting for the Kurdistan Parliament elections, without any extension to the voting period.
The election commission had previously confirmed that there would be no extension to the voting time, despite the heavy turnout witnessed in the final hours.
The commission told Shafaq News Agency that the voting process went smoothly overall, although some technical challenges arose at certain polling stations, where fingerprint scanners failed to recognize some voters' prints, preventing them from casting their votes.
Vote counting began immediately after the polls closed, and the commission is expected to announce the preliminary results within 24 hours.
Earlier in the day, the spokesperson for the election commission, Aysar Yassin, stated in a press conference that voter turnout as of noon local time was as follows: Duhok: 31%, Erbil: 34%, Al-Sulaymaniyah: 29%, and Halabja: 33%, with the overall turnout at 31%.
The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission had opened 1,622 polling stations across the Region’s cities and towns at 07:00 a.m. for the 2,683,618 eligible voters, out of a total of 2,899,578 registered voters.