Shafaq News / The "Kirkukna" electoral list, predominantly Shiite, accused parts of the Election Commission on Saturday of manipulating and nullifying their votes deliberately. In response, Kirkuk Commission denied these allegations.
Mohammed Mehdi Al-Bayati, head of the Kirkukna list, expressed to Shafaq News Agency that their votes in many stations were not reflected due to manipulation in devices and fingerprints. He stated the loss of 50-120 votes per ballot box in predominantly Turkmen and Shiite areas.
Al-Bayati revealed an employee tampering and invalidating Kirkukna's ballots, and they have officially reported this incident to the Commission. They claimed the loss of over 3,000 votes due to manipulation, even with thousands of their supporters present. However, their gained votes were few.
It is noteworthy that Kirkukna secured 22,700 votes in the Kirkuk Council elections but failed to surpass the seat threshold.
In response, Kirkuk's Election Office's media director, Ali Abbas Dhiyab, addressed Al-Bayati's claims, stating, "It is every party's right to file complaints." He assured they had received 41 complaints and forwarded them for legal decisions.
Dhiyab emphasized that challenging election results is normal but stressed the necessity for evidence. He praised Kirkuk Commission's professionalism and the presence of political entities' observers in all stages of the election process.
The local Kirkuk election's outcome saw the "Kirkuk is Our Strength and Will" list of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) winning five seats, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) with two, the Arab Alliance with three, the United Turkmen Front with two, the Leadership Alliance with two, and the Arabness(Auruba) Alliance with one. Additionally, Emil Patros Constantin Ibrahim Aga won a Christian seat.
Kirkuk remains a disputed area between Erbil and Baghdad, governed by Article 140 of the Constitution. A joint authority between Kurdistan and the federal government administered it before the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum in 2017.
Article 140 aims to reverse Saddam Hussein's demographic policies favoring Arabs over Kurds and subsequently conduct a census followed by a referendum for the residents to choose between joining Kurdistan or remaining under Baghdad's rule.
Originally scheduled for completion by 2007, security and political issues delayed its implementation. The Federal Supreme Court in 2019 upheld the continuity of Article 140 until its full execution and goals achieved.