Flawed election introduces new Kurdistan opposition

Accusations of election-rigging marred the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)’s parliamentary and presidential elections, in which northern Iraq’s first credible democratic opposition emerged. According to preliminary results from the 25 July polls, the Kurdistan List, a coalition of the dominant Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), won an absolute majority in the regional parliament, while regional president and KDP leader Massoud Barzani won 69.57% in the first direct election for the post.