IHEC declares manual vote onset, Ensuring the integrity of Kurdistan’s elections

Shafaq News/ The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) office in Duhok announced on Tuesday the commencement of manual vote counting for several polling centers that failed to submit their results on time due to technical difficulties.

Khalid Abbas, Director of the IHEC office in Duhok, stated that “seven polling stations in the province experienced delays in reporting their outcomes. Results from three voting centers will undergo manual counting today, while the results from four stations have already been shared with the relevant political entities.

“Once the manual counting is completed, the votes counts will be incorporated into the final tally for the Kurdistan Parliament elections.” Abbas further noted.

According to the IHEC Director, these votes total will not impact the preliminary results revealed by the commission on Monday. “The purpose of manual counting is to ensure transparency and verification of the election outcome, thereby upholding the integrity of the electoral process.”

Earlier today, the IHEC unveiled the preliminary tally of the Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections, noting that the voter turnout reached 72%, with 99.63% of the votes counted.

During a press conference, the commission’s head, Judge Omar Ahmed, confirmed that the Kurdistan Parliament elections were conducted in a "secure and fair environment" and that the preliminary results are "not subject to appeal."

Voting for the sixth round of the Kurdistan Parliament elections commenced on Sunday following the completion of the special voting for military and security forces.

A total of 1,091 candidates from both genders competed for 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, five of which are reserved for minority groups.