KDP to submit candidate list for parliamentary elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - On Thursday, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) will submit its list of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections to Iraq's Independent High Election Commission (IHEC).

The IHEC decided to extend the deadline for submitting lists of parties, coalitions, and independent candidates for the sixth round of parliamentary elections. The new submission deadline is today, Thursday, July 18.

Khalid Abbas, head of the Duhok branch of the IHEC, confirmed to Kurdistan24, "All branches of the commission in the Kurdistan Region will receive the list of candidates by 2:00 pm today, Thursday, July 18, 2024. The deadline for receiving the list of candidates will not be extended."

The KDP has officially informed the IHEC that it will submit its list of candidates for the sixth round of parliamentary elections to the Duhok branch and other branches in the Kurdistan Region.

In Erbil, Marwan Mohammed, head of the Erbil branch of the IHEC, told Kurdistan24 that two coalitions, 11 political parties, and 28 independent candidates had submitted their names as of Thursday, July 18. Among these, 12 Turkmen candidates and six Christian candidates have submitted their lists to the Erbil branch of the IHEC.

"Only the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Islamic Movement have not submitted their lists of candidates yet," Mohammed added.

The Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq announced the number of eligible voters for the upcoming Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections. According to spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai:

Erbil province has 1,366,462 registered voters, with 1,016,357 having obtained biometric cards.

Sulaimani and Halabja provinces have 1,496,000 voters, of which 1,146,000 have received biometric cards.

Duhok province reports 926,000 voters as of July 3, 2024, with 738,000 having secured biometric cards.

Overall, the total number of voters for the sixth round of the Kurdistan parliamentary elections is 3,789,000, with 2,901,000 of them having been issued biometric cards, according to IHEC.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq also announced that it requires over 42,000 polling staff to conduct the Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections.

"The commission needs more than 42,000 polling staff to conduct the Kurdistan Region Parliament elections," said al-Ghalai, noting that the Board of Commissioners will later determine the issue of bonuses.

Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, announced in a press conference on June 26 that Kurdistan Region's President Nechirvan Barzani has signed a regional order setting the date for the next session of the Kurdistan Parliament elections.

The elections are scheduled for October 20, 2024, by Regional Decree No. 222 of 2024. All concerned parties are mandated to cooperate and coordinate with the Independent High Electoral Commission to implement this decree