By Idris Okuducu

ERBIL, Iraq

Iraqi Turkmen protested outside the UN’s Erbil office in northern Iraq on Thursday over the alleged poll rigging during last week’s Iraqi general election.

Protesters held banners that read “Where are our votes?” as they slammed what they said was an election fraud.

Among the protesters, Aydin Maarouf, MP from Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) in KRG parliament made a statement to journalists, claiming votes had been stolen during the counting process in Kirkuk.

“After investigation, we came to that conclusion that the electronic counting system which was used in last week’s election was deliberately reprogrammed. Therefore, we reject the election result, and demand a manual recount,” Maarouf said in his objection letter.

The MP also said the ITF had sent its objection to EU Delegation to Erbil and the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq alongside the UN.

As well as Iraqi Turkmens, six other Kurdish parties in KRG also claimed stuffing of ballot boxes in the election and demanded a re-election.

According to the electoral commission, almost 11 million Iraqis -- out of 24 million eligible voters -- took part in last Saturday’s vote, representing a turnout of almost 45 percent.

In the run-up to the election last week, Turkmen and Arab residents of Kirkuk had cried foul amid reports of malfunctioning electronic voting machines, which were used for the first time in Iraqi elections.