Kurdish slate scores big in Iraq's north

ERBIL, Iraq, March 10 (UPI) -- Kurdish political leaders in Iraq claimed victories in parliamentary elections, though they said they expect few changes in the country's political landscape.

More than 60 percent of the eligible voters in Iraq turned out for the parliamentary elections. In results published by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, their Kurdistan Alliance won eight of the 12 seats in the ethnically divided province of Kirkuk.

Iraqi President and Secretary-General of the PUK Jalal Talabani said despite the victory, few changes were expected in Iraq.

"I believe that the major parties currently ruling the country will continue to rule in the future with the participation of other parties that want to take part," he said.

PUK candidates took six of the seats in Kirkuk while their KDP counterparts took two. The secular Iraqiya slate led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi beat the State of Law coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the remaining four seats, the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash reports.

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission reported voter turnout in the northern provinces of Iraq, including the three Kurdish provinces, was the highest in the country. Voter turnout in Dahuk was listed at 80 percent, the highest recorded in Iraq.