Latif Nerwayi: Numbers and Data Prove PUK's Victory

Latif Nerwayi's Media Office

Latif Nerwayi, Head of the Media Board of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Latif Nerwayi, Head of the Media Board of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), reaffirmed that the party has significantly increased both its votes and parliamentary seats compared to the previous election cycle. He stressed that the official data clearly demonstrates the PUK’s success in the Iraqi parliamentary elections.

Speaking during a seminar entitled “Elections and a Stance” held at the PUK’s Sulaymaniyah headquarters, Nerwayi said the best way to assess the real winners of the election is to return to the numbers from the last parliamentary race. He noted that the PUK, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the New Generation Movement were the main competitors then, and that the New Generation Movement’s vote count had been close to that of the PUK. Nevertheless, he said, the New Generation Movement ultimately lost in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, and the KDP also lost seats.

According to Nerwayi, the KDP anticipated these losses and attempted to “mask the loss of five seats by increasing their vote totals.”

He explained that in Kirkuk the PUK had previously secured three seats, but this time succeeded in winning four and that the head of the PUK list in Kirkuk received 96,000 votes—making him the highest-voted candidate in Iraq. Nerwayi said the people of Kirkuk recognise that voting for the PUK means supporting the party’s services and work in the city.

He highlighted that the KDP failed to secure even one Yazidi seat in this election, despite fielding well-known Yazidi candidates on its list.

By contrast, the PUK won one Yazidi seat and one Kakai seat—what Nerwayi described as “two golden seats.”

Nerwayi stated that tribes in Badinan, who voted their candidates on the KDP list, have accused the party of diverting their votes to other candidates within the list, sparking protests. He added that many in Duhok and surrounding areas now want new elections and do not intend to vote for the KDP again.

He further criticised recent KDP statements about their claims in the upcoming cabinet, saying: “They talk about their share in the new cabinet and say the situation has changed, but they have lost five seats to the PUK, so they are not serious about repeating the Kurdistan parliamentary elections or reactivating Kurdistan parliament. They have exhausted all the cards they previously used against us. Talk of rerunning the Kurdistan parliamentary elections is merely psychological pressure for their supporters, not a reflection of the political reality in the Kurdistan Region.”

According to Nerwayi, the legal framework does not allow for an election rerun, as such a move requires the resignation of 50%+1 of MPs—an outcome he says is not feasible. “They have even started trying to buy MPs for $5 million each, at a time when Kurdistan is facing a salary crisis,” he added.

Nerwayi emphasised that, despite all challenges, the people of the Green Zone once again voted for the PUK and even increased the party’s votes. “In Sulaymaniyah alone, the PUK secured 241,000 votes,” he noted.

Reviewing the numbers in other areas, Nerwayi recalled that in the previous elections, the KDP won 11 seats in Erbil while the PUK won two. In this election, the PUK increased its tally to three seats, while the KDP dropped to nine. “By the language of numbers alone, we have won in Erbil,” he said.

He added that in the disputed territories, the KDP’s 11 seats from past elections decreased to seven, while in the Green Zone, including Kirkuk, the party won only three seats. Meanwhile, the PUK secured six seats in Erbil and Mosul and has lodged an appeal regarding the Duhok seat.

Addressing voting patterns for Christian candidates in Duhok, Nerwayi said: “For 33 years, the KDP has been voting for six Christian candidates in Erbil and Duhok and three in Baghdad—nine Christian seats in total. They cannot call the Christian candidate we have voted for in Duhok bad and theirs good simply because they are Christians. There is no ethnic issue in Duhok. Whether our candidate wins or not, no ethnic problem will arise. Our candidate is from Duhok and lives there.”

He contrasted this with the situation in Kirkuk, where he said ethnic and community tensions persist and where KDP voted for a Christian candidate ultimately resulted in a Kurdish seat being allocated to Christians.



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