Incumbents endure in Iraqi Kurdistan

ERBIL, Iraq, July 27 (UPI) -- Independent election monitors in Iraq said the weekend elections for the Kurdish Parliament and president went smoothly, with incumbents expected to endure.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq reported that roughly 78 percent of the eligible voters in the Kurdish provinces -- Erbil, Dahuk and Sulaimaniya -- turned out to cast their ballots in the dual elections held during the weekend.

"I am proud to see so many people express their political views through this election, in which we all have an equal opportunity to be part of the decision-making process," said Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani.

IHEC officials reported few election violations during the vote. The Kurdistan Regional Government said preliminary counting was conducted at polling stations in the Kurdish provinces, with official tabulation set to take place in Baghdad under the watch of international monitors.

Opposition to the incumbent Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was expected to surface in the so-called Change List, led by former PUK leader Nawsherwan Mustafa.

Voters had complained the incumbent parties led a closed system that was riddled with corruption. Preliminary results, however, show the Kurdistan List, the unity slate for the PUK and KDP, won the elections with 59 percent of the vote, with Change candidates taking 30 percent.

Kurdish President Massoud Barzani is expected to survive for a second term in the first direct presidential vote for Iraqi Kurdistan.

Official results are expected later in the week.