The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has called on the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to take all necessary measures and recount votes manually due to concerns from some Kurdish political parties over the preliminary elections results in the Kurdistan Region.

The KDP Leadership Council, headed by the party’s President Masoud Barzani, met in Erbil on Tuesday to discuss the elections process, electoral campaign, voting day, issues faced by voters, and the results of the elections, a KDP statement said.  

“Some political parties are suspicious of the elections results [in the Kurdistan Region], and the KDP is suspicious of the results in Sulaimani Province,” the statement noted.

The KDP reiterated its support for the manual recounting of votes across the Kurdistan Region “to remove suspicions and protect the security of Kurdistan.”

According to the statement, the meeting highlighted the importance of Kurdish unity, inviting all the winning political parties to put the interests of Kurdistan ahead of personal and partisan interests when going to Baghdad.

“Partnership, consensus, and balance should be the priority for dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad,” it added.  

“As the Commission has now announced the preliminary results, any party that has suspicions over the outcomes and finds it necessary should take its concerns to the IHEC,” the KDP stated.

Hours after polling stations closed across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq on Saturday, some Kurdish parties, save for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), rejected unofficial election results for the Sulaimani Province, urging the IHEC to recount ballots manually due to allegations of fraud.

Meanwhile, on Monday, six Kurdish political parties met in Erbil where they questioned the preliminary elections results and called for a redo of the general elections in the Region and disputed areas.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany