PUK supporters fire their guns, but Barham Salih tells them to accept defeat

KT Report:

Election results look set to change the Kurdistan parliament’s power balance

Following the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) electoral defeat on Saturday, a dangerous atmosphere has developed in the city of Suli. Last night PUK supporters came onto Salm Street in the city centre and started firing into the air. As a result 12 bystanders were injured and taken to hospital.

The leader of the Suli council, Kawa Abdulla, has condemned last night’s sporadic shooting.

Some PUK followers appear to want to overturn the election result and there are reports of attempts by them to seize ballot boxes. Some Suli residents are reminded of the tense atmosphere that preceded the 1990s civil war. However, Barham Salih, a PUK leader and former Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) prime minister, has urged PUK supporters to accept the result.

“Losing this election is painful, but to run away from it is humiliation”, he said.

According to our sources, Nawshirwan Mustafa, the chair of the opposition Gorran party, has contacted KRG prime minister Nechirvan Barzani to update him on latest developments in Suli.

Gorran looks set to be the second biggest party in the Kurdistan parliament but it is reportedly concerned about possible attempts by the PUK and the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) to alter the outcome in advance of the announcement of the final election results. Nawshirwan has written to the High Commission for Elections and to various foreign consulates in Erbil about this.