Iraq News Now

Shafaq News/ The voting process for the Kurdistan parliament elections in Duhok and Al-Sulaymaniyah witnessed strong participation from citizens, with hundreds lining up to cast their votes and support candidates who represent their aspirations in parliament.

Shafaq News Agency’s correspondent interviewed some voters, one of whom expressed his happiness for participating in the elections, confirming that he arrived at the polling station before it opened to ensure he was among the first voters.

Citizen Azad Ali stated, "We feel the importance of this election after a period of constitutional vacuum that has affected the Region's situation. We look forward to a new parliament that meets the people's needs."

Similarly, after casting her vote Alia Jalal expressed her hope that the candidates who gain the trust of the electorate will work to improve conditions in the Region, adding, "We have given our votes to candidates we trust, and we hope they will fulfill their responsibilities and work diligently to achieve the hopes of the people in Kurdistan."

Voting for the sixth round of the Kurdistan Parliament elections commenced on Sunday following the completion of the special voting for military and security forces two days earlier.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq opened 1,622 polling stations at 07:00 a.m. for eligible residents across the Region, with a total of 2,683,618 eligible voters out of 2,899,578 registered voters.

The commission announced on Friday that 97% of voters in the special voting—comprising 215,960 members of the Peshmerga and internal security forces—had participated, confirming that the process ran smoothly with no significant violations reported.

A total of 1,091 candidates from both genders are competing for 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, five of which are reserved for minority groups. This number has been reduced from 11 seats following a decision by the Federal Supreme Court, Iraq's highest judicial authority.