ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s electoral body will approve the final results of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections next week, after which the legislature will convene for its first session, an official told Rudaw.
“Next week, the council of commissioners will approve the final results of the Kurdistan parliamentary election and will send them to the Kurdistan Region Presidency,” Imad Jamil, head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) media team, told Rudaw on Friday.
Once that step is complete, parliament can then meet.
“Within 10 days of the final approval of the election results, the president of the Kurdistan Region will invite parliament to convene for its first meeting and oath-taking,” Waadi Mizuri, a legal advisor to the Kurdistan parliament, told Rudaw.
Alternatively, “the parliament may hold its first meeting on the 11th day after the approval of the results,” he added.
The Kurdistan Region held its parliamentary elections on October 20 after two years of delays. The vote resulted in a consolidation of power for the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which won 39 seats, followed by its government ally but political rival the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with 32 seats. The opposition New Generation Movement took third place with 15 seats.
Opposition parties Komal, the Kurdistan Islamic Union, Baray Gal, and Halwest have denounced the election results. They alleged fraud and voter manipulation and questioned the reliability of the voting machines.
Iraq's High Judicial Council’s electoral commission on Monday informed IHEC that it has finalized its scrutiny of the complaints filed about the election and rejected them all.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this article.
