IHEC Opens Polling For Parliamentary Elections In Kurdistan Region

10/20/2024 1:05:01 AM

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) IRBIL, Oct 20 (KUNA) -- The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) of Iraq announced, Sunday, the opening of polling stations, marking the start of the general voting for parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
In a statement, the Commission said that that all preparations for the electoral process were completed, with 2,683,618 eligible voters.
President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani Speaking to journalists saying, "We hope to form a unified government as soon as possible to improve the living conditions of citizens."
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski said that voting is the backbone of a successful democracy, as she urge all voters in the region to participate in the parliamentary elections.
According to the IHEC, the election process in Kurdistan is being monitored by 16 consulates, 15 organizations, and 22 international media institution, in addition to 9,610 local organizations and observers, and 43,139 representatives from political parties.
Special voting took place Friday, for security forces and hospital patients, with a participation of 97 percent.
The first parliamentary elections in the region were held in May 1992, marking the establishment of the legislative authority in Kurdistan. In that election, the two main Kurdish parties secured all the seats due to the electoral threshold, with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) each winning 50 seats, while five seats were allocated to other parties.
The last parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region were held in 2018, where the KDP secured 38 seats, followed by the Change Movement with 24 seats, and the PUK with 18 seats. (end)
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