Kurdistan election body begins counting disputed ballots

[Anthea]

Kurdistan election body begins counting disputed ballots

Disputed ballots draped in red ribbon will be opened and counted, said the Kurdistan Region’s election commission, adding these ballots contain enough votes to affect four seats.

Starting on Sunday, 228 disputed ballot boxes will be counted by a special committee, said Sherwan Zrar, the elections commission spokesman.

He explained that after counting the ballots, the commissioners will make their determinations.

"The votes in these boxes will not necessarily be annulled as some boxes have minor issues, but they are draped in red ribbons," Zrar said.

In the September 30 election, 1,045 complaints of fraud have been lodged for the 228 ballot boxes.

He expects that four seats could change in the disputed ballots.

The Change Movement (Gorran) and New Generation have also expressed concerns over the preliminary results, claiming both the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have increased their vote share through rigging and corruption – something denied by both parties.

According to 85 percent of the official preliminary results released by the commission, the KDP has secured 44 seats while the PUK 21, Gorran 12, New Generation 8, Komal 7, Toward Reform 5 and the Modern Coalition 1.

Zrar did not reveal when the final results will be made public.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/141020181