“Our view is that there is more that unites Iraqi Kurdistan leaders than divides them, and it’s in the interest of the people to move forward in an inclusive process and form a government as soon as possible,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told Rudaw during a press conference.
Earlier in the day, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced results of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections with nearly all cast ballots counted. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) received nearly twice as many votes as the runner up, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Patel noted that the US “saw the reporting of some logistical challenges at various polling stations, but overall, from our viewpoint, the process went forward very fairly orderly.”
“What we saw is high voter turnout and an election that proceeded without major security incidents,” Patel noted.
For the first time, voters voted within four provincial constituencies: Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja. Despite its overall victory, the KDP would be unable to form a government, necessitating it to return to the ruling side in alliance or coalition with other parties.
“We are strongly urging political parties to engage in a prompt and sustained dialogue, to swiftly form a stable and representative government without delay,” Patel said. “We think that is the next appropriate step.”
The legislature also was downsized to 100 seats from 111 after a landmark Iraqi court ruling stripped the 11 seats reserved for ethnic and religious minorities. The court later reinstated a quota of five seats within the 100.
“We call on Kurdish leaders to find a way to move past their differences and form a government,” Patel stressed.
The Kurdistan Region last held elections in 2018. After multiple postponements, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in July set the date as October 20.
Patel said the United States said it is willing to play a supportive role as “promoting democratic values is a key priority for the US government.”
“It fosters global stability and it strengthens alliances,” he added. “These are things that we think are integral to what our interests are in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and beyond.”
Several foreign missions in Iraq welcomed the Region’s democratic processes, including the US embassy which congratulated the Kurdistan Region and its political parties on "the successful completion" of the elections.
Patel praised the role of the media and civil society organizations in the Kurdistan Region’s election.
“We certainly applaud the role that civil society and the media had in this election,” he said, “in fostering political dialogue and amplifying the voices of Iraqi Kurdistan Region residents ahead of the election.”
A total of 1,191 candidates contested for seats in the legislature. The polls had a 72 percent voter turnout, and over two million people across the Region cast their vote, according to IHEC.