Kurdish parties secure 14 seats in Iraqi provincial council elections

KIRKUK, December 30 — Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has released the final results of the December 18 provincial council elections, revealing that Kurdish candidates secured a total of 14 seats across four governates: Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salah Al-Din, and Diyala.

In Kirkuk, where 15 seats were contested plus a quota seat for minorities, the Kurdish parties won seven seats with a collective vote count of 242,71.

1. Kirkuk Coalition Our Strength and Will (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Communist Party): 157,649 votes, securing five seats.
2. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP): 52,278 votes, earning two seats.
3. New Generation: 25,910 votes, no seats.
4. Kirkuk Torch Coalition: 6,790 votes, no seats.

In Nineveh governate, with a total of 25 seats, plus three quota seats, Kurdish candidates secured six seats with a total of 191,658 votes.

1. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP): 141,052 votes, securing four seats.
2. Nineveh People’s Coalition (including the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan): 50,606 votes, claiming two seats.

In Diyala governate, the Kurdish parties clinched one seat out of 15, tallying 36,861 votes:

1. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK): 28,648 votes, securing one seat.
2. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP): 7,790 votes, no seats.
3. Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party: 423 votes, no seats.

The Kurdish parties did not secure any seats in Salah Al-Din governate.

Collectively, the Kurdish parties garnered 14 out of 74 provincial council seats in the aforementioned governates, amassing a total of 471,235 votes.

IHEC officials have announced that parties retain the right to appeal the final results of the elections.