ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The parties which won the most seats in Iraq's election from the Kurdistan Region have thrown their support behind a recently announced Shiite bloc.
“Tonight, with the efforts of the loyal to rescue the country from political stalemate, an effort for the formation of Sayirun and Fatih alliance was announced. The politburos of the PUK and the KDP see this step as positive and believe that it is the start of a political roadmap to put an end to the political deadlock,” read a joint KDP-PUK statement released early Wednesday.
Sayirun, who ran with the Communist Party of Iraq, won the most seats in Iraq's parliamentary election on May 12. On Tuesday, the alliance headed by outspoken nationalist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced an alliance with the second-place finisher Hadi al-Amiri's Fatih list.
The two parties from the Kurdistan Region say they will have a joint stance and will send a joint delegation to meet with the Shiite politicians as soon as possible. The two parties are calling on Kurdistani and Iraqi parties to let shared interests override any internal rivalries.
A fire broke out at a warehouse of the electoral commission on Sunday. The warehouse only contained votes cast in the predominately Shiite al-Rusafa area of Baghdad.
The results of the election are contested, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced that the fire and results will be investigated. Then the findings will be put before Iraq's Federal Court.
Nine commissioners from Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) have been replaced by appointed judges.
According to the IHEC’s disputed results, Sadr’s list won 54 seats, Amiri 47, Ammar al-Hakim’s Hikma (Wisdom) 19, and Ayad Allawi and Salim Jabouri 21 — totaling 141.
The KDP won 25 seats, while the PUK picked up 18.
If the results and announced alliances hold, the bloc would have 184 seats.
To form a new government, a coalition of 165 seats is needed out of the 329 in parliament.