ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Voters will not be allowed to change their polling location in the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil, Iraq’s electoral commission said on Wednesday, as the country prepares for its October parliamentary elections and voter registration gets underway.
"Changing polling stations [where a voter must vote] within provinces or from one province to another is allowed, except in Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salahaddin, and Anbar [provinces], to protect the demographics of those areas," Jumana al-Ghalai, spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), said during a presser.
Kirkuk and parts of Salahaddin province are among the areas disputed between the Iraqi federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Iraq’s parliamentary elections are tentatively scheduled for October 2025.
In late February, Iraq’s planning ministry announced the final results of the country's first general population census in 37 years, revealing that Iraq's population has reached 46.1 million. The census, which began in mid-November 2024, is expected to directly impact the October elections, particularly in disputed territories such as the aforementioned provinces, as parliamentary seats are allocated based on population size.
Kurdish officials voiced concerns over potential manipulation or politicization of the census data ahead of the process in November, fearing it could alter the demographic balance to their disadvantage, especially in oil-rich Kirkuk. During the crucial days of the census, many native residents of the disputed province returned en masse to be recorded as inhabitants of their hometown.
Kirkuk and other disputed territories were subject to Arabization policies under Saddam Hussein’s Baath regime, with Kurdish inhabitants displaced and their lands given to Arab settlers. Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution outlines a process for resolving disputes over these areas.
Beyond seat allocation, the census also affects ethnic and sectarian representation, potentially shifting the influence of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and others in these regions, which could impact regional power dynamics and the formation of Iraq’s next government.
Voter registration renewal for Iraq’s next polls began on Tuesday and will remain open for a month, according to IHEC. Over a thousand registration centers have been set up across the country. During the presser, Ghalai stated that those who have not yet registered can visit their nearest center with the required documents.
She added that those born in 2007 have increased the number of eligible voters by over one million, bringing the total to 29 million. Additionally, internally displaced persons (IDPs) residing in Shingal will be able to cast their ballots either in their camps or outside, provided they hold proper identification papers.
