IRAQ – The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has come first in parliamentary elections in the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. The KDP won 39 seats in the 100-seat parliament, the election commission said on Wednesday, putting it at the helm of the next regional government.

The KDP’s historical rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), came second in the October 20 elections with 23 seats, the commission said at a news conference. The largest Kurdish opposition party, New Generation, came a distant third with 15 seats. The commission said voter turnout was 72 percent, up from the 59 percent reported in the previous election in 2018.

The elections were originally planned for 2022, but the polls were repeatedly delayed by disputes between the KDP and the PUK. Ongoing disputes between the rivals could complicate the formation of a new government. The KDP and PUK, which have been sharing power since 1992, are likely to continue governing together, but the results suggest that former Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani’s KDP will take a dominant position.

The new parliament must elect a president and prime minister, posts that are now held by KDP figures Nechirvan Barzani and his cousin Masrour Barzani, respectively. (Aljazeera) …[+]