Midday voter turnout in Kurdistan parliament elections 31 percent: IHEC

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s electoral body on Sunday announced that the voter turnout by midday for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections was 31 percent, with the polls set to close at 6 pm.

“The voter turnout until 12:00 pm in Duhok is 31 percent, Erbil 34 percent, Sulaimani 29 percent, and Halabja 33 percent. The total turnout is 31 percent,” Aisar Yassin, a spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), stated in a press conference in Erbil.

No complaints have been submitted yet, according to IHEC.

About 2.9 million residents across the Kurdistan Region are registered to vote, and over 1,200 polling stations are open.

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.

Jumana al-Ghalai, another IHEC spokesperson, told Rudaw that complaint boxes are available across all polling stations for voters to utilize in case of complaints or violations.

“The voter can rest assured that their vote is preserved,” she added.

According to IHEC, the commission has issued a statement reiterating that taking phones into voting centers is illegal, and campaigners must stay at least 150 meters away from the center.