Islamic Union declares non-participation in Kurdistan government, plans Korea visit for “election integrity”
Shafaq News/ The leadership councilof the Kurdistan Islamic Union announced, during a meeting on Saturday, itsfirm decision to abstain from participating in the formation of the upcomingKurdistan Regional Government.
In a statement, the Union addressedthe "evaluation of the electoral process in Kurdistan Region,"highlighting discussions about the accompanying irregularities. “The IndependentHigh Electoral Commission (IHEC) has been assigned to coordinate with relevantparties to address these issues and implement necessary measures,” he added.
According to the statement, themeeting resulted in a unanimous decision for the Kurdistan Islamic Union not toparticipate in the upcoming government, while continuing its opposition stancewithin the Kurdistan Parliament.
The Union also welcomed "thepeaceful initiatives currently being made to resolve the Kurdish issue in Turkiyethrough dialogue and negotiation, ensuring rights peacefully."
For his part, Iraqi MP from Al-Sulaymaniyah,Muthanna Amin, confirmed that “the Union is prepared to travel to South Koreato verify the integrity of the electronic voting machines and ensure they havenot been tampered with.”
This comes after Iraqi MPs from Al-Sulaymaniyahconducted an unofficial test on one of the machines. During a press conference,Amin explained that "the Kurdistan Islamic Union bloc, along with otheralliances, had requested a review of the voting machines used in the recentelections due to suspicions surrounding the results announced by theCommission."
He pointed out, "The Commissionaccepted our request to conduct an unofficial test on one of the machines, andthe results showed no issues with the hardware components. However, concernspersist about the software responsible for counting the votes."
Amin further highlighted that"the concerns centered on the program used for counting votes, as werequested a trial of one of the machines to verify the accuracy of the count. Nevertheless,the Commission clarified that the machine's software is specifically designedto operate only on election day. Therefore, we are ready to travel to Korea andverify with the manufacturer to ensure the process was conducted fairly andwithout manipulation."
Earlier today, a specializedcommittee overseeing Kurdistan’s parliamentary elections announced a fieldinvestigation into several voting devices used within electoral commissioncenters in the Hawana district of Al-Sulaymaniyah.
The investigation occurs amidheightened political tensions in Kurdistan over the transparency of the October20 parliamentary elections. The committee’s goal is to reinforce transparencyand validate adherence to standards of integrity, particularly followingallegations of potential electoral fraud from several political groups.
This investigation is considered animportant step toward reassuring the public and protecting voters' rights, amidincreasing calls for enhanced monitoring of the electoral process in the Region.
Notably, Kurdistan’s sixthParliamentary elections took place on Sunday, where 1,091 candidates competedfor 100 seats, five of which are reserved for minority groups.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)has emerged as the leading party with 39 seats, followed by the Patriotic Unionof Kurdistan (PUK) with 23 seats, and the New Generation Movement (Al-JilAl-Jadeed-NGM) securing 15 seats.
