Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general speaking to reporters on Wednesday, November 12, 2025. Photo: Screenshot/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations is welcoming Iraq's elections, and urging "a timely and peaceful" government formation, a day after the country's electoral body announced the preliminary election results.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres "emphasizes the importance of a timely and peaceful government formation that reflects the will of the Iraqi people and addresses their aspirations for stability and development," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, told Rudaw's Namo Abdulla on Wednesday.
Dujaric added that Guterres welcomes "the generally common and orderly conduct of the polls and trust that the political stakeholders will maintain the spirit of peace and respect the electoral process and respect the results of this process."
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Wednesday released the preliminary results for the country’s parliamentary special and general elections, held on Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.
Preliminary results showed that sitting Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition secured the top position, earning more than 1.3 million votes. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), led by President Masoud Barzani, followed closely with over one million votes.
Dujaric detailed that the UN reaffirms its "commitment to supporting Iraq in its journey towards consolidating the democratic gains and fulfilling the aspirations of all Iraqis for a prosperous and peaceful future."
Two Kurdish opposition political parties, whose leaders are currently behind the bars, faced election defeat.
"I had not [been] aware of that... Obviously, it is important that all those who want to participate and stand for office, be free to do so," Dujaric said.
The Sulaimani-based New Generation Movement (NGM), the Kurdistan Region's main opposition, won nine seats in Iraq's 2021 legislative elections, and garnered 15 seats in Kurdistan Region's October 2024 parliamentary polls, experiences a massive setback in Tuesday's vote, as the number of its seats dropped to three in Baghdad.
Shaswar Abdulwahid, the party's leader and founder, was jailed by Sulaimani security forces in mid-August and has been sentenced to five months over charges pertaining to making serious threats against others, their property, or their reputation.
The People’s Front (Baray Gal), whose leader Lahur Talabany has been jailed since late August, and is also based in Sulaimani, suffered a major setback in Tuesday’s polls, gaining no seats.
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