Protest against Barzani’s party in Duhok over alleged election fraud

DUHOK,— Demonstrations across the Duhok border region in Iraqi Kurdistan region entered a second day on Thursday as residents from several Kurdish tribes continued to protest what they claim was interference by the Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in recent Iraqi parliamentary election results.

According to local reports, residents from the Shekhan, Zakho, and Bardarash districts gathered on Wednesday and Thursday, blocking several major highways including the Duhok–Erbil and Zakho–Ibrahim Khalil roads.

Protesters accused the KDP of altering vote counts to prevent their tribal candidates from winning parliamentary seats.

Residents said their candidates had received enough votes to secure representation but were excluded from Iraq’s Council of Representatives.

Many stated that they were initially told their candidates had won, only to be informed later that they had not been seated.

In Bardarash, hundreds of members of the Goran tribe gathered and said their candidate, Haji Dildar Rashid Goran, listed as number 13 on the KDP ticket, was denied a seat despite receiving more than 26,000 votes.

They argued that other candidates with fewer votes were allowed to enter parliament. One protester told Channel 8 that they had been told their candidate had won and that the results changed overnight.

Similar gatherings took place in Shekhan, where the Kochar tribe protested the exclusion of their candidate, Sarkawt Muzaffar, listed as number 29. Protesters there blocked the Erbil–Duhok, Erbil–Mosul, and Erbil–Akre roads for nearly fourteen hours, causing widespread traffic disruption across the region.

In the Badinan border area, tensions escalated on Thursday when Sarbast Lazgin, head of the KDP’s Organizational Office and representative of Massoud Barzani, arrived by helicopter to meet tribal elders. According to witnesses, protesters expelled Lazgin shortly after his arrival.

Members of the Sleivan tribe also staged demonstrations, closing the Zakho–Duhok road for several hours on Wednesday night.

Protesters said they would not reopen the route until their candidate, Shirzad Zakaria, was reinstated as an elected representative. The Sleivan tribe, which spans more than 100 villages in the Duhok plain, accused the KDP of betraying its supporters.

Protests against Barzani’s KDP over election fraud in Duhok, Iraqi Kurdistan, November 13, 2025. Photo: iKurd.net/channel8/SM

Throughout the night, KDP security forces attempted to disperse demonstrators using tear gas, but the protests continued into Thursday.

The closures of major highways, including the Erbil–Duhok, Erbil–Mosul, and Erbil–Akre routes, caused serious transportation disruptions and forced drivers to seek alternate roads.

Local reports indicated that four main tribes, the Goran, Kochar, Sleivan, and Musarash, were involved in the coordinated protests.

Tribal representatives said they would continue blocking the roads until the election results were reviewed and their candidates were recognized.

Protesters described the vote changes as “treachery,” insisting that the official results did not reflect the will of local voters. One organizer said they would not open the roads until justice was done.

The KDP has not issued an official statement regarding the allegations. Security forces remained deployed across several areas of Duhok Province on Thursday as demonstrations persisted.

All media outlets affiliated with the Barzani family and the KDP did not publish or broadcast any reports about the ongoing protests until the time this news was issued.

(With files from Rojnews | Channel8 | NRT | alsumaria.tv)