IHEC announces candidates for sixth Kurdistan Region's parliamentary elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Iraqi Independent High Election Commission (IHEC) has officially announced the total number of candidates running in the upcoming sixth session of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) parliamentary elections.

Imad Jamil, head of the press team at IHEC, revealed on Sunday that approximately 1,190 candidates have nominated themselves for this critical electoral event.

According to Jamil, the commission has registered two coalitions, 13 political parties, 85 independent candidates, and 39 candidates for the quota seat, resulting in a total of 139 lists for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections.

This diverse array of candidates and political entities highlights the competitive nature of the upcoming election.

On Saturday, August 10, 2024, IHEC conducted the second draw for the list of parties, coalitions, and independent candidates participating in the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, further solidifying the lineup for the electoral process.

Some of the political parties registered for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections include:

1. Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) (or, Partiya Demokrat a Kurdistanê in Kurdish): 190

2. Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) (or, Yekêtîy Nîştimanîy Kurdistan in Kurdish): 129

3. Kurdistan Islamic Union (or, Yekgirtiya Îslamî ya Kurdistanê in Kurdish): 148

4. Kurdistan Justice Society (KJS) (or, Komelî Dadgerîyî Kurdistan in Kurdish): 147

5. Gorran Movement (or, Bizûtinewey‌ Gorran in Kurdish): 114

6. People's Front (or, Bereyî Gel in Kurdish): 169

7. Helwest Movement: 161

8. New Generation Movement (or,  Cullanewey Newey Nwê in Kurdish): 157

IHEC has confirmed that the sixth session of the Kurdistan Regional Government parliamentary elections is scheduled to be held on October 20, 2024. This election is expected to shape the future political landscape of the Kurdistan Region, with numerous candidates and parties vying for influence and representation.

On July 8, the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq (IHEC) announced the number of eligible voters for the upcoming Kurdistan Regional Parliament elections.

Read More: IHEC announces voter statistics ahead of Kurdistan Region parliamentary 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.

According to IHEC regulations, each list participating in the Kurdistan parliamentary elections can have twice as many candidates as there are seats in each province. The KDP has a total of 190 candidates.

On May 20, the Election Judicial Commission of IHEC allocated five out of 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament to minority communities, reducing the number of general seats.The Board of Commissioners outlined the distribution of the 100 Kurdistan Parliament seats as follows:

Erbil: 34 seats, including one for the Christian component and one for the Turkmen component.

Sulaymaniyah: 38 seats, including one seat for the Christian component and one seat for the Turkmen component.

Dohuk: 25 seats, including one seat for the Christian component.

Halabja: 3 seats, without any seats for components.

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.