# 2013 Kurdistan Region parliamentary election

Parliamentary elections were held in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on 21 September 2013. They were the fourth parliamentary elections in Kurdistan Region since 1992. The candidates were competing for a total of 111 seats out of which 11 seats were reserved for minorities. According to the Iraqi High Electoral Commission, there were 366 female and 736 male candidates for the elections. A total of 2,653,743 people were eligible to vote throughout the three provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and Dohuk of which 74% cast their ballots.

## Run-up

The legislative elections together with presidential and provincial were originally planned for September 21. However, in the months leading to the elections the parliament extended Massoud Barzani’s term for another two years. Meanwhile, IHEC delayed the provincial elections until November 21. Under Kurdish Election law political parties were allowed to campaign from August 28 until September 17th, four days before voting. The Peshmerga and police voted on September 19, in order for them to be able to guard the voting polls on September 21.
The election marked the first time the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan were running as individual parties since 1992. The Kurdistan Democratic Party was expected to win the most votes. The party has had a strong backing in the provinces of Duhok and Erbil and no challengers. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan meanwhile was facing competition from the Movement for Change. The Movement for Change had in the previous elections secured a surprising 25 seats in Sulaymaniyah, which had until then been a stronghold for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan also faced uncertainty due to internal conflicts and the absence of its leader Jalal Talabani who was recovering from a stroke.

### Clashes

On 5 September, a gunman opened fire on a campaign rally by the Movement for Change in the city of Sulaymaniyah, wounding one person. In the same week, clashes broke out between the opposition Movement for Change and PUK and KDP supporters that led to 12 people, mostly policemen, being wounded.

## Notable participating entities

| List No | Party | Kurdish Name | Party Leaders |
| 101 | Kurdistan Islamic Movement | بزوتنەوەی ئیسلامیی کوردستان Bizûtinewey Îslamiy Kurdistan | Shaykh Uthman Abd-Aziz |
| 102 | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | یەکێتیی نیشتمانیی کوردستان Yekêtiy Nîştimaniy Kurdistan | Jalal Talabani |
| 103 | Kurdistan Conservative Party | پارتی پارێزگارانی کوردستان Partî Parêzgaranî Kurdistan | Zaid Surchi |
| 104 | Kurdistan Islamic Group | کۆمەڵی ئیسلامی کوردستان-عێراق Komelley Îslamiy Kurdistaê / Îraq | Ali Bapir |
| 105 | Kurdistan Islamic Union | یەکگرتووی ئیسلامیی کوردستان Yekgirtûy Îslamiy Kurdistan | Mohammed Faraj |
| 106 | Reform and Development List | لیستی چاکسازی و گەشە Lîstî Çaksazî u Geşe | |
| 107 | Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq (Freedom List) | ئازادی Partî Azadî | Kamal Shakir |
| 108 | Future Party | ئایندە Hizbî Ayinde | |
| 109 | Democratic National Union of Kurdistan | یەکێتی نەتەوەیی دیموکراتی کوردستان Yekêtiy Neteweyiy Dîmukratî Kurdistan | |
| 110 | Kurdistan Democratic Party | پارتی دیموکراتی کوردستان Partî Dîmukratî Kurdistan | Massoud Barzani |
| 111 | Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party | حزبی سۆسیالیست دیموکراتی کوردستان Hizbî Sosyal Dîmukratî Kurdistan | Mohammad Hajji Mahmoud |
| 113 | Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party | پارتی چارەسەری دیموکراتی کوردستان Partî Çareserî Dîmukratî Kurdistan | Diyar Gharib and Nadjibeh Umar |
| 115 | Third Direction | ئاڕاستەی سێیەم Arrastey Sêyem | |
| 116 | People'e Rights' List | مافی گەل Lîstî Mafî Gel | |
| 117 | Movement for Change | گۆڕان Bizûtinewey Gorran | Nawshirwan Mustafa |
| 118 | The Rights of People of Kurdistan | لیستی مافەکانی خەڵکی کوردستان Mafekanî Xellkî Kurdistan | |
| 119 | The Independents | لیستی سەربەخۆکان Serbexokan | |
| 120 | Turkmen Change and Renewal | گۆڕان و نوێبوونەوەی تورکمان Gorran u Nwêbûnewey Turkman | |
| 121 | Erbil Turkmen List | لیستی ھەولێری تورکمانی Lîstî Turkmanî Hewlêr | |
| 122 | Iraqi Turkmen Front | بەرەی تورکمانی عێراقی Berey Turkmanî Êraq | Sadettin Ergeç |
| 123 | Turkmen Democratic Movement | لیستی بزووتنەوەی دیموکراتی تورکمان Lîstî Bizûtinewey Dîmukratî Turkman | |
| 124 | Turkmen Development List | لیستی پێشکەوتووی تورکمان Lîstî Pêşkewtûy Turkman | |
| 126 | Assyrian Democratic Movement | لیستی میسۆپۆتامیا Kurranî Dû Rûbareke | Yonadam Kanna |
| 127 | Chaldean Syriac Assyrian United List | لیستی کۆمەڵەی کلدان و سریان و ئاشوورییەکان Girdbûnewey Kildanî Siryanî Aşûrî | Sarkis Aghajan |

## Results

No party won enough votes to form a government outright. The Kurdistan Democratic Party won the most votes in Erbil and Duhok. The province of Sulaymaniyah was heavily divided. The Movement for Change won the second most votes which made it the prime partner for the Kurdistan Democratic Party to form a coalition with. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, unexpectedly, lost more than a third of its seats.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan announced that it respected the results. Soon after the announcement high-ranking member of the party resigned accepting responsibility for the bad results. Both Islamists and socialists made gains. A total of 77 men and 34 women were elected.
| | Kurdistan Democratic Party | 743,984 | 38.15 | 38 | +8 |
| | Gorran Movement | 476,173 | 24.42 | 24 | –1 |
| | Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | 350,500 | 17.97 | 18 | –11 |
| | Kurdistan Islamic Union | 186,741 | 9.58 | 10 | +4 |
| | Kurdistan Islamic Group | 118,575 | 6.08 | 6 | +2 |
| | Kurdistan Islamic Movement | 21,834 | 1.12 | 1 | –1 |
| | Kurdistan Social Democratic Party | 12,501 | 0.64 | 1 | –1 |
| | Communist Party of Kurdistan – Iraq | 12,392 | 0.64 | 1 | 0 |
| | Kurdistan Toilers' Party | 8,681 | 0.45 | 1 | +1 |
| | Future Party | 3,868 | 0.20 | 0 | –1 |
| | Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party | 3,605 | 0.18 | 0 | New |
| | Rights of People of Kurdistan | 2,817 | 0.14 | 0 | 0 |
| | Kurdistan Conservative Party | 2,420 | 0.12 | 0 | 0 |
| | People's Rights List | 2,005 | 0.10 | 0 | New |
| | Democratic National Union of Kurdistan | 1,717 | 0.09 | 0 | 0 |
| | Reform and Development List | 1,323 | 0.07 | 0 | New |
| | The Independents | 868 | 0.04 | 0 | New |
| Total | Total | 1,950,004 | 100.00 | 100 | 0 |
| Turkmen minority reserved seats ||||||
| | Turkmen Development List | 5,259 | 44.23 | 2 | New |
| | Erbil Turkmen | 1,951 | 16.41 | 1 | 0 |
| | Turkmen Change and Renewal | 1,926 | 16.20 | 1 | New |
| | Iraqi Turkmen Front | 1,753 | 14.74 | 1 | 0 |
| | Turkmen Democratic Movement | 1,002 | 8.43 | 0 | –3 |
| Total | Total | 11,891 | 100.00 | 5 | 0 |
| Assyrian minority reserved seats ||||||
| | Assyrian Democratic Movement | 6,345 | 48.19 | 2 | 0 |
| | Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council | 5,730 | 43.52 | 2 | –1 |
| | Sons of Mesopotamia | 1,091 | 8.29 | 1 | New |
| Total | Total | 13,166 | 100.00 | 5 | 0 |
| Armenian minority reserved seats ||||||
| | Yervant Aminian | 531 | 52.37 | 1 | New |
| | Aram Shahin Davud Bakoyan | 227 | 22.39 | 0 | –1 |
| | Ishkhan Arshak Kevorkian | 197 | 19.43 | 0 | New |
| | Nubar Siban Gharib Qurban | 59 | 5.82 | 0 | New |
| Total | Total | 1,014 | 100.00 | 1 | 0 |
| Source: Ekurd, Ishar TV ||||||

### Results by governorate

| Party | Silêmanî | Hawlêr | Dahuk | Total |
| Kurdistan Democratic Party | 92,500 | 340,668 | 310,816 | 743,984 |
| Patriotic Union of Kurdistan | 234,252 | 91,072 | 25,176 | 350,500 |
| Gorran Movement | 333,961 | 130,000 | 12,775 | 476,736 |
| Kurdistan Islamic Union | 84,081 | 46,000 | 56,660 | 186,741 |
| Kurdistan Islamic Group | 67,285 | 46,300 | 4,814 | 118,399 |
| Other | 6,401 | 52,448 | 33,566 | 92,415 |
| Total: | 818,480 | 706,488 | 443,807 | 1,968,775 |