The process was “another important test of our democracy,” the Kurdish premier said in a statement.
“I hope that the existence of a new, active parliament backed by patriots paves the way for the tenth cabinet as soon as possible to serve more the stability, prosperity and unity of the Kurdistan Region,” added Barzani.
Barzani noted that the fact that many voters could not cast their votes due to technical issues was “concerning,” calling on Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to fix the issue in the future elections.
A total of 1,191 candidates were contesting the 100-seat legislature in Sunday’s polls, downsized from 111 seats following a major Iraqi federal court ruling in February.
The polls opened at 7:00 am and closed at 6:00 pm on Sunday.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is leading in its stronghold provinces of Erbil and Duhok, while its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is leading in Sulaimani and Halabja, where it is the most popular party, according to unofficial election results compiled by Rudaw.
The New Generation Movement has also had a positive performance and is expected to win more seats than the nine they gained in the previous Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections.
The voter turnout for Sunday’s elections was 72 percent, according to the IHEC.
