"What really makes us sad is that the Change Movement has sent official letters to the UN representative and the consulates in the Kurdistan Region alleging that the PUK is intending to launch a military attack against them," read a PUK statement released on Tuesday night. "Despite rejecting these rumors by all means, we consider ourselves responsible for ensuring the security of Kurdistan and the rule of law."
According to preliminary official results, the PUK won in Sulaimani by a large margin, reclaiming the province from the Change Movement (Gorran) who has had the majority since 2009 when the party first emerged.
Six parties – Gorran, Komal, KIU, CDJ, IKM, and the Communist Party – have rejected the result and called for a complete do-over, while accusing the PUK of fraud.
A few hours after the votes were counted, the Gorran media reported that its main headquarters in Sulaimani was surrounded and came under heavy attack by the PUK. On Tuesday night, CDJ media reported a party office in Chamchamal “caught fire.”
In a phone interview with Kurdsat TV, a PUK-affiliated media outlet, Lahur Talabany claimed there has been no attack on the headquarters of Gorran and that reported gunshots were actually fireworks. Talabany is PUK’s counterterrorism chief.
"The PUK never resorts to the use of force to resolve the political and legal issues," read the PUK statement, adding the party has "during the revolution and after the [1991] uprising always defended itself and defense is sacred."
The six parties are planning to take their concerns to the US Consulate in Erbil on Wednesday. New Generation has filed a lawsuit in Baghdad. KDP supports a manual recount in Sulaimani.
"So long as there are complaints that fraudulence has been committed across Iraq, let the constitutional court decide to recount votes; otherwise, Sulaimani and Kirkuk must not become the victim of the reduction of some certain parties' votes."
Concerning Kirkuk, the PUK requested for the approval of the results and for the electoral commission to deal with the complaints.
The elections body announcing the preliminary results in Kirkuk revealed that the PUK received 184,300, equivalent to about 6 of the provinces 13 seats. Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has asked for a manual recount of the ballots in Kirkuk province.
Across the Kurdistan Region, the PUK said, the number of its seats has decreased and that it hasn’t reacted forcibly, but in "moral and legal" means.
The PUK suffered a number of blows over the past year, including the death of found Jalal Talabani, who was the president of Iraq from 2006-2014, the departure of the party's second deputy leader Barham Salih who formed his CDJ party, and the loss of the oil-rich Kirkuk to the Iraqi forces, a party-stronghold.
Based on the IHEC official preliminary results, the Rudaw Election Desk forecasts Kurdish parties will obtain about 59 seats in the new parliament. Including the disputed areas in Nineveh, Saladin, Kirkuk, and Diyala, they predict the KDP will take 26 seats, the PUK 17, Gorran 6, New Generation 4, Islamic Union 2, Islamic League (Komal) 2, and the Coalition for Democracy and Justice 2. In the outgoing parliament, the KDP holds 25 seats, PUK 21, Gorran 8, KIU 4, and the Islamic League 3.
Fifteen days after final election results are released by the IHEC, 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.
Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Tuesday that the IHEC should release official results within 15 days after the May 12 election.
