More than "92 percent" of participants in the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum voted yes.
The Supreme Referendum and Election Commission of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq announced on Wednesday, October 25, that more than 92 percent of those eligible to vote in this week's referendum voted in favor of the region's independence from Iraq.
Hendrin Mohammed, the head of the commission, said that 92.73 percent of voters voted in favor of the referendum, and the turnout of eligible voters was 72 percent.
He, who participated in a press conference in the city of Erbil, announced the number of participants in Monday's (October 23) referendum as 3,305,925 people.
The referendum was held in three provinces of the Kurdistan Region, in addition to some disputed areas between the region and the Iraqi government, as well as in some polling centers outside Iraq.
The referendum drew the ire of Iraq, Turkey, and Iran, and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said he did not recognize it and called for its results to be annulled.
However, on Wednesday, in a session of the Iraqi parliament, he ruled out the use of force to confront the Kurdistan Region and said that he did not want war between Iraqi citizens.
The Iraqi parliament approved a 13-article bill on Wednesday, according to which the country's government has warned against any negotiations with the Kurdistan Region until it annuls the results of Monday's vote.
The plan also calls on Baghdad to bring to justice those responsible for holding the referendum, including the President of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani.
The Iraqi parliament has also authorized the country's prime minister to send military forces to Kirkuk and other disputed areas between Baghdad and Erbil that are outside the Kurdistan Region and take control of them.
On the other hand, the Iraqi army announced that it had sent a high-ranking delegation of officials from the country's armed forces to the country for military cooperation with Iran.
Reuters news agency wrote in a brief report on the incident on Wednesday that although the Iraqi army's statement did not provide details of the incident, it is said to be in line with the retaliatory measures that the Iraqi government is seeking to take following the holding of an independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region.
Iran and Turkey, which oppose the Kurdistan Region's separation from Iraq, have also said they do not recognize the referendum. The two countries have recently conducted military maneuvers on their border with the Kurdistan Region, and Iran has closed its airspace to the region.
Iraq, which had demanded control of the region's airports, has announced a similar ban on flights to Erbil Airport after receiving a negative response from the region's authorities.
Haider al-Abadi had previously warned that if control of the airports in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is not handed over, Baghdad will ask neighboring countries to close their borders with the region and will ban international flights over Kurdistan starting Friday, which has prompted a positive response from Egypt and Lebanon.
The two countries have announced that they will suspend flights to the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah starting Friday.
On the other hand, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also threatened to impose strict sanctions on the Kurdistan Region, warning that the people of the Kurdistan Region will remain hungry.
Previously, the United States had opposed holding a referendum on independence for Iraqi Kurdistan, saying that this event would cause further instability in the region.
Source: Radio Farda
