Voting for Iraq’s 6th parliamentary elections started at 7:00 a.m. this morning. Citizens across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to cast their votes at polling stations established throughout the country.
According to data from the Iraqi High Electoral Commission, 20,063,773 voters are eligible to vote in these elections. Of these, 2,488,051 voters are registered in the three electoral regions of the Kurdistan Region, Hewlêr (Erbil), Silêmanî (Sulaymaniyah), and Duhok. This number does not include Kurds living in the areas covered by Article 140, Kirkuk, Salahaddin, Nineveh, and Diyala, as well as in Baghdad.
For the general vote, 8,703 polling centers and 39,285 ballot boxes were set up across the country. Of these, 1,543 centers and 6,655 ballot boxes are located in the Kurdistan Region.
The elections are being monitored by numerous local and international media outlets, observer delegations, and inspection teams. Voting will conclude at 6:00 p.m. After the polls close, the results will be transmitted via an electronic system to the headquarters of the High Electoral Commission in Baghdad. Ballot seals will be shown publicly to observers and members of the press.
Meanwhile, during the special voting held on 9 November 1,340,518 voters consisting of security forces and displaced persons cast their ballots. According to the Commission’s statement, the participation rate in the special voting was 82 percent, and 841 electoral violations were recorded.
The general voting process will conclude this evening with the closing of the polls. The counting of votes and the announcement of official results will take place after the evaluation by the High Electoral Commission in Baghdad.
Residents of Kirkuk began heading to the polls early in the morning
Citizens from Kirkuk who reside in various parts of Southern Kurdistan also set out for Kirkuk to cast their votes.
Images coming from the region show long lines of vehicles formed by voters on their way to polling stations.
Politicians cast their votes
PUK leader Bafil Talabani cast his vote at the Rewşen Bedirxan High School in Sulaymaniyah. After voting, Talabani spoke to the press and called on citizens to participate in the elections.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani was among the first to vote early in the morning.
Kirkuk Governor Rebwar Taha, who cast his vote in Kirkuk, stated that the voting process in the city was proceeding smoothly and urged all citizens to exercise their right to vote.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also went to the polls in Baghdad. Congratulating the people of Iraq, Sudani emphasized that the elections were conducted within the constitutional framework, reaffirming once again the principle of the peaceful transfer of power within Iraq’s political system.
The Prime Minister highlighted the government’s great importance in strengthening the political system and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power through the provincial council and Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections. He added that the government had met all the needs of the Independent High Electoral Commission to ensure that political parties and candidates could go through a stable electoral process.
Sulaymaniyah Governor Heval Abubakir, who voted at Zekiye Alkan High School, released a message on his official Facebook account regarding the voting process. Calling on citizens to take part in the elections, he also addressed political parties with the following message: “I call on political parties to stop blaming one another today and to prepare themselves for a new decision-making process within a federal Iraq—one that will safeguard the rights, demands, and goals of the Kurdish people. They must be ready to accept the voting results, the people’s judgment, and to move toward a stage of unity and organization.”
In a message regarding the elections, State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki emphasized that they expected a high voter turnout, stating: “The Iraqi people and political forces have succeeded in reaching this great day and have overcome all obstacles to hold the elections. We will be even happier once the results are announced. We went to the polls early to call on all Iraqis to go out and vote without delay.”
Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq Secretary General Qais Khazali was also among those who voted early in the morning. After casting his vote, Khazali stated in a press briefing that there would be no interference in the elections or in the formation of the government, and that the election results would not be altered in any way. He also emphasized that political forces should act in coordination and declared that they would not accept any external interference.