Election body preliminary results: PUK wins Kirkuk, KDP takes Duhok

Rudaw

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's election body released results for Duhok and Kirkuk provinces on Tuesday night, with KDP predictably taking the former, and PUK overwhelmingly taking the latter.

 

Duhok:
1. KDP - 348,777
2. Kurdistan Islamic Union - 48,300
3. CDJ - 25,449
4. PUK - 25,823
5. New Generation - 17,823
6. Babul Arab - 8,133
7. Kurdistan's Socialist Party - 7,194
8. Kurdistan Islamic Union - 4,560
9. Kldan Coalition - 4,815
10. Gorran Movement - 3,619
11. Islamic Group - 3,768


Kirkuk:
1. PUK - 184,300
2. Fatih (Amiri) - 18,406
3. Wataniya (Allawi) - 14,932
4. Nishtiman - 13,775
5. New Generation - 12,836

 

For Duhok and Kirkuk provinces there are 12 and 13 seats up for grabs, respectively. The KDP did not run any candidates in Kirkuk; calling it “occupied” after Iraqi forces supported by Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries took control of the city from Kurdish Peshmerga. Areas in Kirkuk, Diyala, Saladin, and Nineveh remain disputed, claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad. 

 

Gorran, Komal, and CDJ ran together as the Homeland (Nishtiman) coalition in Kirkuk.

 

They were the two remaining provinces without preliminary unofficial results. The IHEC previously announced outcomes for the other 16 provinces.

 

Erbil:
1. KDP - 316,001
2. PUK - 77,792
3. New Generation - 69,123
4. CDJ - 49,266
5. Gorran - 39,809
6. Komal - 35,741
7. KIU - 23,933
8. Turkmen Front - 2,332

Sulaimani (including Halabja): 
1. PUK - 262,128
2. Gorran - 149,930
3. New Generation - 61,638
4. Komal - 49,343
5. KDP - 46,567
6. CDJ - 44,967
7. KIU - 29,161

Diyala: 
1. Qarar Alliance 
2. Fatih 
3. Al-Wataniya
4. Sayirun 
5. Victory Alliance 
6. Hikma Front 
7. PUK 
8. State of Law 

Nineveh:
1. Victory Alliance - 164,714
2. KDP - 134,782
3. Al-Wataniya - 97,085
4. Nineveh Our Identity - 78,793
5. Fatih - 73,253

Saladin:
1. Qalat Jamahir Watanyah - 76,069
2. Fatih - 62,425
3. Al-Wataniya - 54,330
4. Victory Alliance - 50,437

Baghdad:
1. Sayirun
2. Fatih 
3. State of Law 
4. Al-Wataniya 
5. Victory Alliance  

Anbar:
1. Al-Anbar Is Our Identity
2. Al-Wataniya

Najaf:
1. Sayirun - 92,026
2. Fatih - 82,838
3. Victory Alliance - 71,819
4. Hikma Front - 38,099
5. State of Law - 36,808

Misan:
1. Sayirun - 133,959
2. Fatih - 63,669
3. Hikma Front - 40,176
4. Victory Alliance - 36,257
5. State of Law - 32,137  

Wasit:
1. Sayirun
2. Fatih 
3. Victory Alliance
4. Hikma Front 
5. State of Law 

Babil: 
1. Fatih 
2. Sayirun
3. Victory 
4. Hikma Front 
5. State of Law 

Muthana: 
1. Sayirun 
2. Fatih 
3. Hikma Front 
4. Victory Alliance
5. State of Law 

Karbala:
1. Fatih 
2. Sayirun
3. Victory Alliance 
4. State of Law 
5. Hikma Front 
6. Al-Wataniya 

Dhi Qar:
1. Sayirun 
2. Fatih 
3. Victory Alliance
4. State of Law 
5. Hikma Front 
6. Iradah (Will) 
7. Al-Wataniya 

Basra: 
1. Fatih 
2. Sayirun 
3. Victory Alliance 
4. State of Law 
5. Hikma Front 

Al-Qadisiyah:
1. Fatih 
2. Sayirun 
3. Victory Alliance 
4. Hikma Front 
5. State of Law 

 

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who is in an alliance called Sariyun with the Communist Party of Iraq has emerged as the apparent winner, but will still need to garner enough support, if he is to form a coalition government.

There have been widespread complaints about Iraq's election process.

The KDP politburo on Tuesday supported a manual recount of ballots for Sulaimani. Among Kurdish parties, the KDP holds the most seats in the Iraqi parliament and in Kurdistan’s parliament.

Six parties – Gorran, Komal, KIU, CDJ, the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (IKM), and the Communist Party – have rejected the result and called for a complete do-over. They are planning to present evidence of irregularities to the US consulate in Erbil on Wednesday. 

The New Generation has also filed a lawsuit with the IHEC in a Baghdad court, arguing the release of unofficial preliminary results is a violation.

Fifteen days after final election results are released, the new parliament must hold its first session during which the speaker will be chosen. A new president will be elected within three days of the legislature convening and the president will then ask the largest parliamentary bloc to form a cabinet. 

Traditionally, the speaker of the parliament has been a Sunni Arab, the prime minister a Shiite, and the president a Kurd. 

Sadr and Erbil have frequently taken a similar stance with respect to Iraqi politics over the past decade, including opposition to Nouri al-Maliki during his tenure as prime minister. 

 

There are nine minority seats in Iraq — 5 for Christians (Baghdad, Nineveh, Kirkuk, Duhok, Erbil), 1 for Yezidis (Nineveh), 1 for Shabaks (Nineveh), 1 for Mandaeans (Baghdad), 1 for Faylis (Wasit).

 

Voter turnout was 55 percent in Duhok, 48 percent in Erbil, and 40 percent in Sulaimani, according to the IHEC. Across Iraq's 18 provinces, it was 44.52 percent.

 

This is a developing story... Last updated at 9:53 p.m.