Iraq
A man wearing traditional Kurdish clothing and carrying the Kurdistan Region flag shows his ink-stained finger after voting in Kirkuk's provincial council elections on December 18, 2023. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Vote counting continues across all Iraqi provinces as the electoral commission prepares to announce preliminary results for the provincial elections on Tuesday evening. The race between the Kurdish parties in disputed territories also carries on, with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leading in Kirkuk, Diyala, and Salahaddin, and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leading in Nineveh, according to unofficial numbers obtained by Rudaw.
Kirkuk province recorded the highest turnout across all the provinces with 65 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, numbering over 566,000 votes. Partial and unofficial results from nearly 230,000 sorted ballots show the PUK leading with over 67 percent of the votes, followed by the KDP with 21 percent, and the New Generation Movement (NGM) with 11 percent.
Over 404,000 ballots were cast in Diyala, accounting for 43 percent of all eligible voters. Unofficial results obtained by Rudaw based on more than 32,000 sorted ballots show the PUK topping the KDP comfortably in Diyala, scoring nearly 26,000 votes while the KDP obtained around 5,500.
Out of 14,400 ballots sorted in Salahaddin, the PUK is once again in the lead of the Kurdish parties, gaining over 12,000 of the votes. The KDP has received 1,521 votes. The province had the second highest turnout with 59 percent participation rate and over 462,000 ballots cast.
Over 967,000 people voted in Nineveh, the most out of all the provinces, accounting for 53 percent of all eligible voters. The KDP has dominated the Kurdish vote in Nineveh, scoring more than 53,500 votes out of 59,600 sorted ballots, while the PUK has received 6,000 votes.
A total of 6,599,668 ballots were cast across Iraq during Saturday’s early vote and Monday’s general elections, accounting for a 41 percent turnout. Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is set to announce the preliminary results of the provincial elections at 5:00 pm Tuesday.
The councils were dissolved in 2019 in response to demands by Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures and for enabling corruption. After several delays, the election date was set for December 18.
The provincial councils were created by the 2005 Iraqi constitution following the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime. They hold significant power, including setting budgets for several key sectors such as education, health, and transport, but are accused of being rife with corruption.
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