Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President Bafel Talabani casts his vote in the 2025 parliamentary elections in Sulaymaniyah on Tuesday.
Talabani hails voter participation, calls for ‘new phase’ in Kurdistan Region–Baghdad relations
SULAYMANIYAH — Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Jalal Talabani on Tuesday congratulated the people of Kurdistan and Iraq for their participation in the 2025 parliamentary elections, expressing hope that the vote will usher in “a new phase” in relations between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government in Baghdad.
“I congratulate the people of Kurdistan and Iraq and thank them for their participation in the electoral process,” Talabani said. He extended “special thanks to the Independent High Electoral Commission and all security forces for performing their duties in the best way and successfully managing the process.”
Talabani called on all winning candidates “to work together to protect the rights of citizens in all regions,” adding, “I hope that following these elections, a new phase begins in relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, where issues are resolved fundamentally based on the constitution.”
Tuesday’s vote was Iraq’s sixth general parliamentary election since 2003, with more than 20 million Iraqis eligible to cast ballots across 19 governorates. Polls closed automatically at 6 p.m. when voting machines shut down nationwide, and the Independent High Electoral Commission said preliminary results would be announced within 24 hours.