Iraqi Kurds voted on Sunday for a new parliament in their autonomous region, which is mired in an economic crisis a year after an independence referendum that infuriated Baghdad. Almost 3.1 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region, where 673 candidates from 29 political movements contested seats in the 111-member parliament. Polling closed as scheduled at 1500 GMT and the results are expected within 72 hours. The vote passed off with only minor incidents such as gunmen trying to vote without the necessary papers. The electoral commission gave an official turnout of 58 percent of registered voters in Arbil, the regional capital and one of the three provinces which make up Iraqi Kurdistan.
The figures were 53 percent for Sulaymaniyah and 61 percent in Dohuk.
The commission gave no overall figure but early indications pointed to a modest turnout following a campaign that aroused little enthusiasm.
The vote in Kurdistan came as Iraq struggles to form a new government after a nationwide parliamentary poll held in May.
Full Article: Iraqi Kurds vote for new parliament.
