IHEC urges public to collect unclaimed voter cards ahead of elections
Al-Husseini warned that while distribution of voter cards will continue up until Election Day, delays may cause confusion, particularly on the day itself.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has confirmed that 180,000 voter cards are ready for distribution but remain uncollected, urging the media to encourage citizens to retrieve their cards from polling stations to ensure participation in the upcoming elections.
Amer Musa al-Husseini, head of the Central Elections Committee for the Kurdistan Regional Parliament, stated, “180,000 voter cards are ready and have not been received by their owners. Therefore, we call on the media to urge citizens to visit the polling stations and receive their cards so that they can participate in the voting on election day.”
Al-Husseini warned that while distribution of voter cards will continue up until Election Day, delays may cause confusion, particularly on the day itself.
“For this reason, we ask everyone to collect their cards in advance to avoid disruptions.”
These remarks were made during a meeting between the Commission, the Kurdistan Journalists Syndicate, media leaders, and representatives from the Kurdistan Regional Government's Ministry of Culture.
According to the Commission’s statistics, 2,899,578 citizens in the Kurdistan Region are eligible to vote after obtaining their biometric voter cards.
Of these, 2,683,618 voters are set to participate in the general election, while 215,960 will vote in the special voting process.
The IHEC has established 1,431 polling stations across the Kurdistan Region, with 1,266 designated for general voting and 165 reserved for special voting.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency has officially scheduled October 20, 2024, as the date for parliamentary elections.
On June 26, 2024, President Nechirvan Barzani signed a decree formalizing the election date for the next session of the Kurdistan Parliament.
During a press conference, Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region Presidency, reiterated that the elections will take place on October 20, 2024, in accordance with Regional Decree No. 222 of 2024. The decree reads:
1. October 20, 2024, is set as the date for the general elections for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliament of Iraq.
2. All relevant entities are required to coordinate with the Independent High Electoral Commission to implement this decree.
3. The decree is effective immediately and will be published in the Official Gazette.