41 appeals filed as Kurdistan Region parliamentary election appeals deadline passes

NEWSROOM – The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission announced Sunday evening that the deadline for submitting appeals related to the recent Kurdistan parliamentary election results has officially passed.

The sixth session of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections took place on Oct. 20, 2024, supervised by IHEC. The Kurdistan Democratic Party, one of the region’s primary ruling parties, secured the largest share of seats with 39. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, another major party, followed with 23 seats, while the New Generation Movement obtained 17 seats.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana Al-Ghalai informed 964media that Sunday marked the final day for filing appeals on the election outcomes. Al-Ghalai reported that “41 appeals were received, with 25 from Sulaymaniyah, 12 from Erbil, three from Duhok, and one from Halabja.”

The commission now has seven days to review each appeal and respond before forwarding them to the judicial authority. The judiciary will then have 10 days to issue rulings on the appeals, as stipulated by Law No. 31 of 2019, which outlines IHEC’s procedures.

The election spanned four constituencies: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and Halabja. Five seats were allocated to minority representatives, while 30 seats were reserved for women under the region’s gender quota system.

Allegations of fraud have surfaced in the wake of the election, primarily from the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) and the National Stance Movement (Halwest), which secured three and four seats, respectively. Other parties, dissatisfied with their results, have voiced similar concerns.

At last week’s MERI Forum 2024 in Erbil, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani addressed these allegations, asserting that “the recent elections were the most fair ever conducted in the region.” Despite the disputes, Barzani emphasized the importance of unity, stating, “The election is over; we need to cooperate. What is ahead of us is far greater than what is behind us.”