ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Wednesday welcomed the start of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections campaigning period and called for a peaceful process.
“The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) welcomes the commencement today of the campaign period for the upcoming Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections scheduled for 20 October 2024,” UNAMI said in a statement.
The UN mission emphasized the need for a campaign free of violence and intimidation.
“UNAMI looks to all candidates, other political actors and the media to foster a climate of respect, inclusivity and open dialogue throughout the campaign,” continued the statement.
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Tuesday announced September 25 as the first date of election campaigns which will last until midnight on October 15.
A total of 1,191 candidates are vying for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament, according to IHEC. That number includes 823 men, 368 women, and 38 candidates from minority communities.
Nearly 2.9 million people are eligible to vote, including around 215,000 early voters. There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in the disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces, for eligible voters.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday called on the political parties to run a peaceful campaign, while remaining respectful to women and the symbols of ethnic and religious minorities.
Early voting for security forces and internally displaced persons (IDPs) is scheduled for October 18, while the general vote will take place on October 20.
The electoral process has faced numerous challenges, with interference from Baghdad exacerbating tensions between the Kurdistan Region’s political parties, particularly between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
The Kurdistan Region last held elections in 2018. The upcoming elections were initially scheduled for 2022, but have been delayed several times.
