IHEC closes Kurdistan election appeals with 41 cases filed
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) disclosed the number of appeals submitted in the parliamentary elections results in the Kurdistan Region, indicating that the processing of these appeals will span 17 days, involving both the commission and the judicial authority.
IHEC spokesperson Jumana Al-Ghalay said in a statement, “The commission requires 7 working days to prepare responses and forward them to the judicial committee, which then needs 10 working days to adjudicate the appeals.”
Al-Ghalay noted that “the deadline for submitting appeals ended today, closing with 41 appeals in total.” She explained that the appeals were distributed as follows, 25 in Al-Sulaymaniyah, 12 in Erbil, one in Halabja, and three in Duhok, emphasizing that these appeals will be addressed under the Electoral Commission Law No. 13 of 2019.
Last Wednesday, the IHEC announced the final results of the Kurdistan Parliament elections for its sixth term, reporting a voter turnout exceeding 72%.
On Friday, independent candidates in Al-Sulaymaniyah and Halabja rejected the results of the elections, declaring their intent to challenge the outcome to "protect voters' rights."
Farhad Rasool, representing the independents, claimed at a press conference that the election results were "predetermined" and failed to reflect the people's aspirations. He cited “clear manipulation” in electronic counts, with some polling stations showing vote totals far below what was recorded in ballot boxes.
In turn, Commission’s Chairman Judge Omar Ahmed Mohammed revealed in a press conference, in Erbil, that a series of measures were implemented to ensure the integrity of the elections in a secure environment. “We have worked diligently to complete this national duty.”
According to the announced results, KDP emerged as the leading party with 39 seats, followed by the PUK with 23 seats. New Generation came third with 15 seats, KIU placed fourth with 7 seats, the National Position was fifth with 4 seats, the Justice Group secured 3 seats, the People’s Front had 2 seats, Change Movement secured 1 seat, and the Kurdistan Alliance also gained 1 seat.
