President Barzani congratulates Indian PM Modi on re-election victory

Shafaq News/ Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region, extended congratulations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on their victory in the parliamentary elections.

"On behalf of the Kurdistan Region, I congratulate Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his re-election. We look forward to continued progress in relations between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq with India," Barzani said in a post on X on Wednesday.

The BJP, a Hindu nationalist party led by Modi, secured an outright majority in the elections, marking a historic third consecutive term in power. In his first remarks since vote counting began, Modi said the victory reflects the public's trust in the coalition his party leads.

After today's win, Modi is set to be India's prime minister for a third time, a day after humbling election results which saw his majority slashed by a resurgent opposition.

Modi was backed to be prime minister again following a meeting with his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Wednesday.

The 73-year-old had found himself unexpectedly reliant on the NDA's smaller parties to reach a parliamentary majority after his own party fell short of the 272 needed to form the next government.

Modi is likely to be sworn in for a record-equalling third term later this week.