ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdistan Region’s main leaders met with an influential Iraqi Shiite cleric on Wednesday to discuss the political scene in Iraq and the unofficial results of the recent parliamentary elections that led to a period of unrest in the country and a failed assassination attempt on its prime minister’s residence in Baghdad. During a visit to the Kurdistan Region, the head of the National Wisdom Movement Ammar al-Hakim convened with President Nechirvan Barzani, according to a statement from the presidency’s office. Barzani and Hakim discussed the importance of taking the complaints filed against the election results seriously as it could “lead to election transparency and restoration of confidence in the political and democratic system in the country,” read a statement published on Hakim’s Telegram channel. Iraq held its parliamentary election on October 10. The preliminary results showed that support for some of the strongest Iran-backed parties has waned, with their seats in parliament slashed. The losing parties alleged rigging and fraud, pushing the electoral body to perform a partial manual recount of votes. Both sides also discussed Erbil-Baghdad ties, stressing the “necessity of solving the outstanding problems in accordance with the constitution, the forced laws and the necessities of the public interest,” according to Hakim. They also highlighted the importance of protecting peace and political stability in the country. Hakim also met with the head of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Masoud Barzani, read a statement from Barzani Headquarters. The leaders exchanged views on the recent developments in Iraqi politics. During the meeting, the cleric also emphasized respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and putting an end to the foreign interference and aggression on its lands. Hakim ran in the recent election in the newly formed National State Force Alliance, led by him and former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. They won four seats only. The KDP tied for third place with 33 seats, yet again holding the position as the largest Kurdish party in the Iraqi parliament, the preliminary results showed. It has opened government formation talks with a wide number of parties. A KDP delegation last month visited Sulaimani where they met separately with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Change Movement (Gorran), and the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party. A delegation also visited Baghdad earlier this month and met with Iraqi parties. Leaders of the KDP and PUK met on Monday, focusing on Kurdish unity in Baghdad. Nechirvan Barzani and Masoud Barzani also met with Iraqi President Barham Salih.
