Unprecedented Twist in Diyala: Arab Nationalist Wins Kurdish Seat in Provincial Council

Shafaq News/ An Arab nationalist candidate won a seat in the Kurdish-majority Khanaqin district during the provincial council elections in Diyala.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) nominee in Khanaqin, Aws Ibrahim Mahdi al-Mahdawi, an Arab nationalist, won 3,442 votes. The Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) obtained 6,804 votes in Diyala, excluding special vote results yet to be announced.

PUK and KDP members highlight challenges such as the absence of KDP headquarters, control by armed factions, and difficulties in freely promoting candidates.

A member of the Khanaqin Center of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, Ibrahim Hassan, attributed this outcome to numerous Kurdish electoral lists, causing voter dispersion.

In turn, a member of the electoral committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Khanaqin, Soran Fahmi, told Shafaq News Agency that the results might be affected by factors like buying votes, promises of appointments, and financial inducements, along with security concerns and residents' reservations about Kurdish forces' performance.

Fahmi suggested that for future improvements, the Kurdish party must solidify and unify, and issues related to Article 140 and the return of Democratic Party headquarters to the region must be addressed.

Former parliamentarian Azad Hamid Shafi pointed out the failure of the State Administration Alliance to fulfill pledges towards Kurds and the lack of implementation of Article 140.