Dominant parties maintain hold in parliament election for Iraq’s Kurdish region

IRBIL, Iraq — 

Election results from the ballot for the determination parliament successful Iraq's semi-autonomous bluish Kurdish portion amusement the 2 ascendant Kurdish parties person maintained their clasp portion an absorption enactment has made inroads, officials said Wednesday.

According to the Independent High Electoral Commission, the Kurdistan Democratic Party — with its basal of enactment successful the determination capital, Irbil, and successful the metropolis of Dohuk — made the strongest showing, securing 39 seats.

The rival Patriotic Union of Kurdistan won 23 seats, continuing its power implicit the metropolis of Sulaymaniyah. In the 2018 elections, the 2 parties won 45 and 21 seats, respectively.

A comparatively caller absorption party, New Generation, won 15 seats, a important summation from the 8 seats it got successful 2018, erstwhile the enactment was archetypal established.

The Kurdistan Islamic Union, which came successful 4th with 7 seats, announced it volition articulation the New Generation successful absorption successful the regional, 100-seat parliament. Other insignificant parties took a smattering of seats.

Despite immoderate method issues astatine the polls, voters turned retired successful ample numbers, with 72% of eligible voters casting ballots.

The surge successful enactment for the New Generation appeared to stem from increasing disillusionment among younger voters, who are progressively frustrated with the region's ongoing economical challenges, including delays successful wage payments, precocious unemployment, and perceived corruption wrong the accepted governmental leadership.

Economic concerns stay astatine the forefront — wide dissatisfaction implicit delayed payments to civilian servants, fluctuating lipid prices, and ongoing fund disputes with the cardinal authorities successful Baghdad person fueled calls for reform.

Three Assyrian Christian candidates and 2 Turkmen candidates secured the 5 remaining quota seats for minorities, contempt the Iraqi national court's arguable elimination of the reserved seats for taste and spiritual minorities earlier this year.

These seats are usually filled by candidates backed by the large governmental parties, starring immoderate to accidental that they bash not connection genuine number representation.

"We nary longer person existent practice successful the parliament oregon the government; our voices are being silenced," said Toma Khoshaba, an Assyrian taste activist.

Khoshaba argued that that these "so-called autarkic Assyrian representatives occupying the quota seats are mostly supported by the Kurdistan Democratic Party" oregon by Shiite factions.

"Their loyalty lies with these ascendant governmental groups, not with our communities," helium said.

The predetermination result volition besides play a pivotal relation successful determining however Kurdish leaders grip ongoing disputes with Baghdad, peculiarly implicit lipid gross sharing and fund allocations, arsenic good arsenic the region's broader economical challenges.