58 Candidates Compete for 11 Duhok Seats in Orderly Campaign Start

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As the campaign for the sixth term of the Iraqi Council of Representatives officially commenced on Friday, the province of Duhok embarked on its electoral journey with a palpable sense of renewed civic order and environmental consciousness. With 58 candidates, including 20 women, vying for 11 parliamentary seats, and a significant electorate of 779,000 people poised to cast their ballots, the first day of the campaign unfolded not with the usual chaotic flurry of posters and rallies, but with a disciplined adherence to new, stricter regulations.

This reformed approach, seen in the wake of recent environmental cleaning campaigns across the province, signals a significant shift in the region's political culture, prioritizing public space and citizen convenience in a way that stands in stark contrast to the disruptive electoral contests of the past.

The official launch of the campaign at the stroke of midnight on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, set in motion a critical month of political activity across all of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, which will continue until the morning of Saturday, Nov. 8, just ahead of the general election on Nov. 11. This period will see a staggering 7,768 candidates nationwide compete for the support of an electorate of more than 21 million citizens.

In Duhok, as the race began, the changes were immediately apparent. 

According to Kurdistan24's correspondent in Duhok, Mahir Shingali, the procedures for hanging campaign posters have been fundamentally altered this year. Candidates are no longer permitted to place their materials indiscriminately; instead, they must adhere to strict instructions laid out by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and the traffic directorate.

To ensure compliance, municipal committees are continuously monitoring public spaces, particularly those areas where campaign materials are forbidden, ensuring that the visual landscape of the province remains orderly and that public safety is not compromised.

This new, more regulated environment in Duhok is not an isolated phenomenon but is reflective of a broader, transformative trend across the entire Kurdistan Region. In the governorates of Sulaimani and Halabja, where over 200 candidates are competing for 18 seats, the campaign launch was similarly marked by an unprecedented sense of calm and order.

The streets of Sulaimani, which in previous years were often gridlocked with rallies and plastered with posters, remained clear and navigable. This "healthier atmosphere," as it has been described, is the direct outcome of a deliberate and proactive strategy by electoral and municipal authorities. In the lead-up to the campaign, the IHEC, in partnership with local municipalities, conducted a series of workshops and seminars for candidates and political parties to ensure a thorough understanding of the new guidelines.

The effectiveness of this educational approach has been backed by a firm commitment to enforcement. In Sulaimani, for example, several candidates who jumped the gun and distributed promotional materials before the official start date, causing public obstruction, were swiftly reported to the IHEC's headquarters in Baghdad.

They now face legal action, with potential penalties ranging from hefty fines to the ultimate sanction of being disqualified from the election. This decisive action has sent an unambiguous message across the region: the era of unregulated, disruptive campaigning is over.

A similar trend has been observed in Erbil, where 173 candidates are vying for 16 seats. There, the physical presence of campaign posters has been noticeably reduced, with a significant shift towards online and social media-based campaigning, further contributing to a less cluttered and more modern electoral process.

The stakes in Duhok are significant, with an electorate of 779,000 people, including a notable population of 25,000 internally displaced persons who also have the right to vote. These voters will be crucial in deciding the 11 representatives who will carry their voices to the federal parliament in Baghdad.

Across the Kurdistan Region as a whole, 314 candidates are competing for a total of 46 parliamentary seats, making this a fiercely competitive race where every vote will matter.

The call for a mature and respectful campaign has been championed by the Kurdistan Region's highest leadership. Ahead of the campaign launch, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani issued a statement urging all political parties to conduct their activities in a civilized, peaceful, and constructive manner.

This top-level appeal for responsibility aligns perfectly with the new regulatory framework being implemented on the ground by the IHEC and local authorities, creating a unified push for a more sophisticated democratic exercise.

This election is pivotal not just for its scale and the new tenor of its campaigns, but also for its underlying mechanics. The vote will be conducted under a new electoral system, a key reform that emerged from the nationwide protests that took place between 2019 and 2021.

The old system of proportional representation has been replaced with a single non-transferable vote system, which divides the country into 83 multi-member constituencies. This change was a core demand of the protest movement, designed to foster a more direct and accountable relationship between voters and the individuals they elect to represent them.

The parliamentary elections, held every four years since 2005, are the bedrock of Iraq's post-Ba'athist democratic system. They determine the composition of the 329-member Council of Representatives, the legislative body responsible for forming the government, enacting laws, and providing oversight of the executive branch. The upcoming vote is taking place at a critical juncture for Iraq, amidst significant regional tensions and a host of pressing domestic challenges.

These include the urgent need for economic diversification and reform, the persistent demand for improved public services, and the ever-important, and often delicate, relationship between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil.

Political analysts and observers are in wide agreement that the outcome of the Nov. 11 election will be instrumental in shaping Iraq's stability and charting its course forward as it confronts these complex and interwoven pressures.

As the candidates in Duhok and across the country make their cases to the voters over the next month, the orderly and respectful start to the campaign offers a hopeful sign of a maturing democracy, one that is learning to balance vibrant political competition with civic responsibility.