UN Special Envoy arrives in Erbil to observe Kurdistan elections

Shafaq News/ The United Nations Special Envoy has arrived in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, on Saturday evening.

The Erbil governorate stated that "the UN Special Envoy Mohammed Al-Hassan aims to participate in observing the parliamentary elections."

The general voting process for the parliamentary elections in Kurdistan is set to begin on Sunday, October 20, with participation expected from more than 2.5 million voters across all provinces.

Numerous international and local organizations, including the United Nations, will be involved in observing the elections.

A total of 1,091 candidates, both men and women, are competing for 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament. Of these seats, five are reserved for minority quotas, reduced from 11 seats following a ruling by the Federal Supreme Court of Iraq, the country’s highest judicial authority.

According to election law, at least 30 seats must be allocated to women.

The total number of eligible voters in the Kurdistan Region stands at 2,899,578, of which 215,960 were eligible to vote in the special voting. The remaining 2,683,618 voters will cast their ballots in the general election on Sunday.