IHEC urges calm in Kurdistan special election: Watch it as you would watch a football match

Shafaq News/ On Friday, Judge Omar Mohamed, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), stated that the voting process in the special election for the Kurdistan Region Parliament is "proceeding smoothly."

Mohamed told reports that the doors of 165 polling stations opened at 7:00 AM, including 12 stations located in various areas and cities outside the Region.

The Judge also urged voters from the Peshmerga forces and internal security personnel “to remain calm and composed while casting their votes.”

"Watch this electoral process as you would watch a football match—without any tensions," Mohamed added, emphasizing that the use of mobile phones inside polling stations is strictly prohibited.

Earlier today, the IHEC opened polling stations for Peshmerga forces and internal security personnel to cast their votes, noting that the voting process began at 7:00 AM in 165 polling stations and will conclude at 6:00 PM, as scheduled by the IHEC.

A total of 1,091 candidates from both genders are competing for 100 seats in the Region, 5 of which are reserved for minority groups, reduced from 11 seats by a decision from the Federal Supreme Court (the highest judicial authority in Iraq).

The number of seats allocated for women, according to the election law, must be at least 30.

The total number of voters is 2,899,578, of whom 215,960 are eligible to vote in the special election. The remaining 2,683,618 voters will participate in the general election next Sunday.

The legislative elections in the Kurdistan Region have been postponed four times over the past two years due to political disputes, having originally been scheduled for 2022.

Since its establishment in the early 1990s, the Region has witnessed five parliamentary terms, and this marks the sixth one.