Though accepting that they expect few changes in the country's political landscape, Kurdish political leaders in Iraq claimed victories in parliamentary elections.

The parliamentary elections witnessed a turnout of more than 60 percent. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party published the results according to which their Kurdistan Alliance won eight of the 12 seats in the ethnically divided province of Kirkuk.

Despite the victory, few changes were expected in Iraq, said Iraqi President and Secretary-General of the PUK Jalal Talabani .

He said," I believe that the major parties currently ruling the country will continue to rule in the future with the participation of other parties that want to take part."

According to the reports of the Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash, PUK candidates took six of the seats in Kirkuk while their KDP counterparts took two. The secular Iraqiya slate led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi beat the State of Law coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for the remaining four seats.

Voter turnout in the northern provinces of Iraq, including the three Kurdish provinces, was the highest in the country, said the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission reported . Dahuk, with 80 percent, recorded the highest turnout in Iraq.