Campaign period concludes as Kurdistan Region prepares for historic vote
The IHEC, responsible for overseeing the Kurdistan Parliament elections, designated this period for candidates to present their platforms and engage with voters. As the campaign wraps up, strict regulations come into effect to ensure a fair electoral process.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The campaign period for the sixth Kurdistan Parliament elections comes to an end on Tuesday at midnight across the Kurdistan Region, as stipulated by the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC).
This marks the conclusion of a 20-day campaign that began on Sept. 25, 2024, during which political parties, coalitions, and independent candidates have been vying for seats in the upcoming parliament.
The IHEC, responsible for overseeing the Kurdistan Parliament elections, designated this period for candidates to present their platforms and engage with voters. As the campaign wraps up, strict regulations come into effect to ensure a fair electoral process.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani emphasized the significance of these elections in a video message, stating, "The election of a strong parliament is a crucial opportunity to reinforce our democratic system, strengthen our institutions, implement reforms, safeguard the Kurdistan Region, uphold the federal system, and secure the constitutional rights of the Kurdish people."
According to IHEC guidelines, any campaign activities conducted after midnight tonight until the conclusion of special voting on Oct. 18 and general voting on Oct. 20 will be considered violations.
The commission has outlined penalties for non-compliance with these regulations.
Jumana al-Ghalai, spokesperson for IHEC, previously informed Kurdistan24 that candidates and lists are required to remove their campaign posters within 30 days after the general voting concludes.
The Erbil Municipality has warned that failure to comply with this directive will result in fines.
Special voting is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, with approximately 215,000 members of internal security forces, Peshmerga, and Kurdish members of the Iraqi army eligible to cast their ballots.
IHEC has prepared 165 polling centers with 749 stations for special voting, which will operate from 7 AM to 6 PM.
In a historic first, special category voters from outside the Kurdistan Region will be able to participate in the election across eight Iraqi provinces, in addition to the four governorates of the Kurdistan Region (Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok, and Halabja).
The distribution of special voting centers for Friday is as follows:
Erbil: 62 centers, 306 stations
Sulaimani: 57 centers, 276 stations
Duhok: 33 centers, 142 stations
Halabja: 1 center, 3 stations
Special voting centers in Iraqi provinces:
Karkh - Baghdad: 2 centers, 8 stations
Rusafa - Baghdad: 1 center, 2 stations
Nineveh: 4 centers, 5 stations
Kirkuk: 1 center, 2 stations
Diyala: 1 center, 1 station
Anbar: 1 center, 1 station
Wasit: 1 center, 1 station
According to the biometric voter registration data released by IHEC, the total number of eligible voters for the sixth Kurdistan Parliament elections is 2,899,878. This figure includes 2,683,618 general voters and 215,960 special category voters.
As the campaign period concludes, the Kurdistan Region prepares for a pivotal moment in its democratic journey, with voters set to shape the future of their parliament in the coming days.