BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The electoral commission of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan said on Tuesday that initial results showed 93 percent of voters support the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq, Kurdish media reports said.
The reports quoted independent commission as saying that the preliminary results show 93.29 percent of voters support independence of the region, while 6.71 voters object.
Those are the results achieved after counting 282,000 ballots, according to the commission.
A representative of the commission said, however, that results can still change as the counting continues, with results slated for announcement on Thursday.
It said nearly 3.3 million voters, out of 5.2 eligible ones, participated in the polls on Monday, putting turnout at an estimated 72.16 percent.
The voters in the Kurdistan region and disputed areas cast ballots to answer one question in the referendum: "Yes" or "No" to an independent Kurdish state.
The referendum came despite intense international pressure on Kurdish regional President Masoud Barzani to halt the voting, amid fears that it would spark new conflicts with Baghdad and neighboring Iran and Turkey.
Earlier in the day, the Iraqi parliament issued a package measure against the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan over its controversial referendum on independence.
The parliament demanded Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, redeploy the Iraqi security forces in the disputed areas outside the Kurdish region.
The parliament also demanded the federal government regain control of oil fields in the disputed areas.
The Iraqi government has repeatedly rejected the referendum and its results, describing it as "unconstitutional."
"Taking a decision unilaterally that would affect Iraq's unity and making separation from one side is contrary to the law and unconstitutional and we will not deal with it or with its results," Abadi said in a statement.
On June 7, Barzani announced his intention to hold a referendum on the independence of the Kurdish region from Iraq on Sept. 25.
Many countries oppose the independence of Kurdistan, saying it would threaten the integrity of Iraq and undermine the fight against Islamic State militants.
Iraq's neighboring countries Turkey, Iran and Syria have also strongly opposed the referendum, fearing it would threaten their territorial integrity as there is a large Kurdish population living in these countries.
