Preliminary Kurdish election results will be announced day after vote

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The preliminary results of the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections will be announced the day after the vote, an official from the federal electoral body said on Friday. 

Imad Jamil, spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent Electoral High Commission, told Rudaw that preliminary results will be announced on October 21.

Kurdistan Region’s long-overdue legislative poll is scheduled for October 20, with early voting taking place two days before. 
 
The United Nations will not be monitoring the Kurdish election, Samir F. Ghattas, spokesperson for the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), told Rudaw on Friday.

"We provide technical support and advice to the electoral institutions. UNAMI will not be monitoring the elections in Kurdistan. However, as part of our work in the field of human rights, we will continue to monitor the ground and raise any issues of concern," he said.

A total of 1,191 candidates are vying for the 100-seat Kurdistan parliament, according to the electoral commission. That number includes 823 men, 368 women, and 38 candidates from minority communities.

There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in the disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces.

The United States will send a team of 103 observers to monitor the process, an election monitor told Rudaw on Tuesday. Other countries are also expected to send observers.
 

Hastyar Qadir and Mohammed Khoshnaw contributed to this article.