ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Security forces and displaced persons across Iraq began casting their ballots on Sunday in early voting for the country’s parliamentary elections, two days before the general vote.
Polling stations opened at 7 am and will close at 6 pm, with over 1.3 million members of the security forces and 26,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) eligible to vote at 4,501 designated stations nationwide.
“The separation and counting of votes in the early voting stations begins on the same day, but the results will be combined with those of the general voting,” Hassan Zair, a member of the media team of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told Rudaw on Sunday.
Aziz Waisi, commander of the Zeravani Peshmerga Command, told Rudaw from a polling station that “today is important in Iraq’s history and for the Region too… we also vote so that the rights of Peshmerga are ensured.”
He also hoped that on the general voting day on Tuesday “voters across Iraq will also go to ballot boxes with the same enthusiasm as the Peshmerga. It is a historic day, and I believe it will be a turning point in Iraq’s history.”
Waisi stressed that “it is important that the Peshmerga maintain their calm and organization, as they always do when they go to the ballot box.”
Peshmerga voters at polling stations across the Kurdistan Region told Rudaw that the voting process was smooth and well-organized.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani has instructed security agencies to ensure a smooth and accessible voting process across all provinces.
Campaigning officially ended on Saturday morning and the country entered a period of mandatory electoral silence.
According to the IHEC, 21,404,291 voters with biometric cards are eligible to participate in the election.
In total, 31 alliances, 38 political parties, 23 independent candidates, and 56 quota candidates are competing for 329 parliamentary seats, including nine reserved for minority groups.
More than 7,700 candidates are registered to run, with over 39,000 polling stations set to open across 8,703 centers for the general vote on Tuesday. Another 97 polling stations will serve displaced voters residing in camps.
In the Kurdistan Region, 1,516 schools have been converted into polling centers, including 204 for early voting. The IHEC assumed control of the facilities from the education ministry on Thursday.
This is Iraq’s sixth legislative election since the 2003 fall of the Baath regime.
Updated at 10:46 am.
