"Those sides who accused the PUK of vote rigging, they must prepare to face the court to receive their retribution for accusing a party like the PUK," Khalid Shwani, a PUK leadership member, told reporters in a press conference.
Turkmen and Arabs in Kirkuk had accused the PUK of voter fraud in the disputed and diverse province. They, thus, demanded a manual recount of votes.
Shwani particularly blamed the Turkmen Front, claiming they can carry only 100,000 votes in Kirkuk.
"I am telling Hassan Turan that since 2003 the Turkmen Front won three seats," he said.
Turan, the deputy head of the Turkmen Front in Kirkuk, failed to secure his seat in the Iraqi parliament in the election on May 12.
Shwani went on to say "a judging team from the High Judiciary Council was designated to carry out the manual recount of the votes and they assured us that there was not a substantial difference in the manual and the electronic vote counts and this in itself is a response to Hassan Turan."
For his part, Turan insists he will not be silenced by the commission and vows his party will continue fighting on behalf of Turkmen people, saying his aim was not to secure a parliamentary seat but to “reveal the violations [and] fraud.”
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission, in response, handed Turan the largest fine in its history. It accused Turan of slander and incitement after he raised allegations of voter fraud.
Turan was one of the leaders of protests in front of the commission's office in Kirkuk, days after the election.
“The people today want their votes retrieved. They will remain on the street until that day. They are demanding their rights," he had told Rudaw.
Shwani urged authorities in Baghdad to take necessary measure to protect the security of Kirkuk and describes the new outcome of the vote as a "new success" for his party.
The PUK obtained six seats in the city of Kirkuk, while the Turkmen and the Arabs each obtained 3 seats. Twelve seats were up for grabs.
