KDP Wins Iraqi Kurdish Parliamentary Election, Commission Says

Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024.
Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024.
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KDP Wins Iraqi Kurdish Parliamentary Election, Commission Says

Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024.
Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024.

The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) came first in a parliamentary election in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, winning 39 seats, the election commission said on Wednesday, positioning it to lead the next regional government.

The KDP's historic rival and junior coalition partner in government, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was second with 23 seats, the commission told a news conference.

It said turnout among registered voters was reported at 72%.

The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has 100 seats with five reserved for minority groups.

With opposition parties weak, the KDP and PUK, which have been sharing power since 1992, are likely to continue governing together, but the results suggest that Masoud Barzani's KDP will take a dominant position.

Originally planned for 2022, the elections were repeatedly delayed by disputes between the KDP and PUK.

Unresolved disagreements between the two major political parties are expected to complicate the formation of a new government, analysts and regional officials expect.

The largest Kurdish opposition party, New Generation, was a distant third with 15 seats.



Five People Killed in Hezbollah Missile Attack on Israel's Metula

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke billowing from the site of a rocket attack from Lebanon in Israeli town of Metula (background), on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke billowing from the site of a rocket attack from Lebanon in Israeli town of Metula (background), on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
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Five People Killed in Hezbollah Missile Attack on Israel's Metula

This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke billowing from the site of a rocket attack from Lebanon in Israeli town of Metula (background), on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)
This picture taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjayoun shows smoke billowing from the site of a rocket attack from Lebanon in Israeli town of Metula (background), on October 31, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Photo by AFP)

Five people were killed, including four foreign workers and one Israeli farmer, in a Hezbollah attack on Israel's northern town of Metula on Thursday.

The Metula regional council reported the attack.

Lebanon’s Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets into Israel since Oct. 8, 2023, when it opened fire in solidarity with Hamas a day after its cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip.

All-out war erupted last month, when Israel carried out large waves of airstrikes and killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and most of his senior commanders. Israel launched a ground invasion at the start of October.

Some 1.2 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Lebanon, according to government estimates. Lebanon’s Heath Ministry said more than 2,800 people have been killed and 12,900 wounded since Oct. 8, 2023.