Iraq News Now

Shafaq News/ Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani hailed the successful completion of the Region's parliamentary elections as a renewed test of Kurdistan's democratic values.

In a statement following the conclusion of the voting process, Barzani emphasized, "I congratulate the people of the Kurdistan Region, including all its groups and components. I thank them for their patience and active participation, as well as the families of our martyrs."

He continued, "I also thank the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) for their support and for overseeing this process. It is, however, concerning that a significant number of voters were unable to cast their votes today due to technical problems. I call for serious efforts to address these issues to ensure the right to vote for every voter in the upcoming elections."

The Prime Minister extended "a special thank you to our security forces for securing the atmosphere necessary for the elections. Thank you to the international monitors and observers who provided oversight throughout this process. I also thank all the political parties for participating in this election and for their support in making it a success."

"With God’s help, and the support of our loyal citizens, I hope that the existence of a new, active parliament backed by patriots paves the way for the tenth cabinet as soon as possible to serve more the stability, prosperity and unity of the Kurdistan Region," Barzani concluded.

Polling stations closed their doors at 06:00 p.m., announcing the end of voting on time and without any extension.

The IHEC told Shafaq News Agency that the voting process generally went smoothly, but it faced technical challenges in some centers, as "some fingerprint scanners failed to read the biometric data of voters, preventing some from casting their ballots."

Vote-counting operations began immediately after the closing of the polls, with the commission announcing preliminary results within 24 hours.