PUK claim Sulaimani victory, Gorran, CDJ demand manual recount
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) officials claim the party has retaken the city of Sulaimani in Iraq’s parliamentary election. The Change (Gorran) Movement and the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) claim the result is invalid and have demanded a manual recount.
According to PUK media, the party has won in 40 polling stations in Sulaimani city. Gorran claims the electronic voting system has been hacked, and has demanded a manual recount.
The CDJ and Gorran said in a joint statement that they “will not be silent on the stealing and exchanging of votes,” according to Xendan TV, the official media of the CDJ.
Rebwar Karim, head of the CDJ in Sulaimani, claims that his party has gained zero votes in the polling station where he cast his vote in favor of his party. He said the “results are very strange and funny,” reported Xendan TV.
According to PUK media, the party has won in 40 polling stations in Sulaimani city. Gorran claims the electronic voting system has been hacked, and has demanded a manual recount.
The CDJ and Gorran said in a joint statement that they “will not be silent on the stealing and exchanging of votes,” according to Xendan TV, the official media of the CDJ.
Rebwar Karim, head of the CDJ in Sulaimani, claims that his party has gained zero votes in the polling station where he cast his vote in favor of his party. He said the “results are very strange and funny,” reported Xendan TV.
Gorran, Komal, the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) and the CDJ are reportedly meeting in Sulaimani to discuss their response.
Taking to Twitter, Hemin Hawrami, senior assistant to Masoud Barzani, called the PUK result "illogical" and demanded a manual recount.
In a statement, the PUK’s politburo said: “Fortunately, the free process of election ended without any unwanted incidents.”
The politburo also claimed it had gained “victory and this victory is a glory for all parties and our nation.”
Qubad Talabani, the KRG deputy prime minister, has congratulated PUK supporters and called on them to "stay calm and stop firing [into the air]. The PUK is a popular force, from Zakho to Hawraman. As I have said before, the PUK has only one alternative, which is PUK itself."
Meanwhile in Halabja, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the KIU, Gorran, Komal, the CDJ, the Islamic Movement, the Kurdistan Communist Party, and New Generation have held a joint presser rejecting the results.
The politburo also claimed it had gained “victory and this victory is a glory for all parties and our nation.”
Qubad Talabani, the KRG deputy prime minister, has congratulated PUK supporters and called on them to "stay calm and stop firing [into the air]. The PUK is a popular force, from Zakho to Hawraman. As I have said before, the PUK has only one alternative, which is PUK itself."
Meanwhile in Halabja, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the KIU, Gorran, Komal, the CDJ, the Islamic Movement, the Kurdistan Communist Party, and New Generation have held a joint presser rejecting the results.
They claim there been too much "fraudulence."
The PUK is the only party to accept the preliminary result.