Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections: polls open until 6:00 pm with no extensions, confirms IHEC
To participate in the election, voters must present their biometric card along with an identification document featuring their photograph.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The voting process for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) parliamentary elections officially commenced at 7:00 am on Sunday, according to Nabard Omar, head of Kurdistan elections at the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). Speaking at a press conference, Omar confirmed that the polls would remain open until 6:00 pm, with no plans for an extension.
In a unique advisory, Omar suggested that voters facing fingerprint recognition issues due to illness or skin problems could use a simple trick—pressing a potato against the biometric scanner—to ensure their vote is not wasted. "We have experience with this method, and it helps those with fingerprint issues cast their ballots," he stated.
To participate in the election, voters must present their biometric card along with an identification document featuring their photograph. However, Omar noted that 5% of voters at each polling station, who possess biometric cards but did not have their fingerprints recorded during registration, can still vote. Some biometric cards remain in Baghdad because their owners did not retrieve them.
This election sees 2,686,578 eligible voters across four constituencies—Erbil, Duhok, Sulaimani, and Halabja—taking part in the democratic process.