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ERBIL / SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) – One of the dominant Kurdish parties in northern Iraq said it would not recognize the results of Sunday's parliamentary elections, injecting political uncertainty into a region still demoralized by failed independence bid.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said that its decision to ignore the results, which have not yet been announced, was based on what she described as fraud in the process. of vote.
The PUK is competing with its longtime rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in the polls, as discontent grows because of perceived corruption and economic hardship.
With little opposition, the political dynasties had to extend their power-sharing arrangement to the country of six million inhabitants, which acquired a semi-autonomous status after the 1991 Gulf War.
The KDP veteran leader, Masoud Barzani, managed to maintain a support base even though he led an independence campaign that caused humiliation and hardship for the Kurds after the military and economic reprisals of the country. Baghdad.
Divisions within the PUK could give the KDP an advantage in their power-sharing deal, which has been fraught with tension.
While criticism of the Kurdish ruling establishment – dominated for decades by the Barzani and Talabani families – has increased, low opposition means that many voters can stand to traditional leaders.
"I do not know who I'm going to vote for, but our family has always supported the KDP. My son will choose a candidate for me, "said Halima Ahmed, 65, while she was walking with a sugar cane in the city of Erbil, seat of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
Preliminary results are expected within 72 hours. There are 111 seats in the running, of which 11 are reserved for ethnic minorities.
Low participation
At noon, the Independent Elections and Referendums Commission stated that the provincial participation rate was 16-23%. In the voting center at Chenar Girls' School, the attendance rate at 1500 local time (12.00 GMT) was less than 35 percent, said election official Shaaban Kazem.
"The turnout is very low," said independent lawyer and observer Belnd Omar.
The number of voters has decreased in recent elections, the stagnant politics of the region, unpaid salaries in the public sector, and corruption undermining public confidence in politics.
Observers from two opposition parties said some people tried to use fake IDs to vote, but could not be independently verified by Reuters.
Kurdish opposition parties had disappointing results when Iraq held federal elections in May. But multiple allegations that the KDP and the PUK have committed electoral fraud – unconfirmed in a subsequent recount – could influence some voters.
Gorran, the main opposition movement, was weakened by internal conflicts and the death of its founder and leader, Nechirvan Mustafa, last year.
"I wanted to make sure I voted early. I gave my vote to Gorran and hoped that everything would be fine, "said Omar Mahmoud Abdullah, 52, in a polling station installed at the Shireen School in Sulaimaniya, PUK stronghold. .
In another polling station in Sulaimaniya, lawyer Hassan Dalloush, 65, also said that he was voting for the opposition.
"If there is no fraud in this election, I will feel good about it. But the parties in power still want to commit fraud, this is the only way to stay in power, "he said.
"I will never vote for the parties in power. Today, I voted for the opposition. "
Report by Raya Jalabi to Suleimaniya and Ahmed Aboulenein in Erbil; Written by Michael Georgy; Editing by David Goodman
