PUK, KDP dominate Kurdish elections

ERBIL, Iraq, July 28 (UPI) -- Preliminary results for the elections in Iraqi Kurdistan show the incumbent parties and president secured their positions in office despite modest opposition.

The Kurdish provinces in Iraq -- Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaimaniya -- had dual elections for parliament and president last weekend.

Unofficial results show the Kurdistan List, a unified slate made up of the incumbent Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party, took 62 percent of the vote for the Kurdish Parliament. The Change List, lead by former PUK leader Nawsherwan Mustafa, took 27 percent, with the Reform and Services List taking third.

Massoud Barzani, the incumbent president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, secured a second term with 72 percent of the vote.

The elections in the Kurdish provinces went by with few incidents of violence, The Kurdish Globe reports. One person was killed and 10 others were injured in the Kurdish capital Erbil when supporters of the Kurdistan List fired weapons into the air in celebrations.

Meanwhile, riots erupted in front of the offices of the opposition Kurdistan Islamic Union, which the party viewed as a threat.

Election violations in the Kurdish election were minor. More than 70 percent of eligible voters took part in the weekend vote.

Official results are expected later this week.