"I hope that the Kurdistan Region's citizens exercise their rights to pick their own candidates and send them to parliament," President Nechirvan Barzani said after voting. "I hope that the process today is peaceful."
Barzani thanked Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Iraqi judicial authorities, and the UN Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for the "success of the [election] process."
“The key to political stability is resolving issues within the framework of the constitution,” President Barzani said, adding that he expects the election process to go “smoothly” and that it showcases the pride and respect of the Region’s citizens.
On regional issues, Barzani said that Erbil is in constant coordination with Baghdad and neighboring and world powers to ensure that “Iraq does not fall into the circle of problems that exist in the region today.”
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also called on people to vote to exercise their rights.
“I hope that today’s elections go peacefully … and that the people punish those who play with the fate and rights of the Kurdistan Region’s citizens,” Prime Minister Barzani stated.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) leader Bafel Talabani also urged citizens to head to the polls moments after casting his ballot in his party’s stronghold of Sulaimani.
“Hurry up, wake up, and go vote,” he urged.
Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdistan Region from the PUK, called on citizens to vote for whom they “trust.”
“The PUK has been reorganizing for the past three years, it has been reorganizing its ranks for three years, and now for four years, PUK will reorganize the Kurdistan Region,” said Talabani.
“Today is a historic day,” Lahur Talabany, leader of the newly formed People’s Front (Baray Gal), told reporters after voting.
He described the ballot boxes as a “flower vase” of votes for different political parties and expressed hope for the process to be carried out in a “democratic way.”
“We will not say whether we will become a part of the government or the opposition. We will leave this matter until after the election,” said Talabany, also the former co-chair of the PUK.
“Today is a very different day, and hopefully in the evening after 6 pm the Kurdistan Region’s people are able to completely change the future for themselves and their children," New Generation Movement leader Shaswar Abdulwahid told reporters after voting.
Salahadin Bahaddin, leader of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU), described the elections as “fateful,” saying, “Our people need this; even ruling and the authority need renewal and the establishment of a new atmosphere,” Bahaddin said.
“I hope that our people go to the ballot boxes mindfully and express their opinion,” he added.
Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal) leader Ali Bapir called on the people of the Kurdistan Region to cast their vote in the parliamentary elections and called on parties to refrain from pressuring people to vote during the process.
“I call on everyone, the people of Kurdistan, to go to the ballots boxes, vote and express their opinion, to vote for the person they are convinced about,” Bapir told journalists in Erbil, adding that the process is conducted in a calm manner.
The Komal leader hoped parties would refrain from pressuring people in the general vote.
“We believe that pressuring people, whether in Halabja or in Duhok, is an illegitimate and uncivilized action. I hope that our people and the political leadership leave this phase behind,” he said.
Polls in the Kurdistan Region opened on Sunday morning for its long-awaited parliamentary elections, two years after its originally scheduled date and with the federal commission supervising the vote.
A total of 1,191 candidates are contesting the 100-seat legislature, downsized from 111 seats following a major Iraqi federal court ruling in February.
It is also the first election to divide the region into four constituencies, Sulaimani, Erbil, Duhok, and Halabja. There are 38 seats up for grabs in Sulaimani province, 34 in Erbil, 25 in Duhok, and three in Halabja.
About 2.9 million residents across the Kurdistan Region are registered to vote, and over 1,200 polling stations are open.
The polls opened at 7:00 am and will close at 6:00 pm.
