Electoral commission affirms readiness for Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections

BAGHDAD — The Independent High Electoral Commission confirmed on Wednesday its readiness to conduct the upcoming Kurdistan parliamentary elections.

Candidate registration closes on Thursday at the end of official working hours. This is despite there being no set date for the long-delayed election.

Jumana Al-Ghalai, spokesperson for commission, told the Iraqi News Agency, “Preparations are ongoing for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary elections. The Kurdistan Democratic Party has confirmed its participation.”

As of June 9, twelve parties had registered to participate in the elections. With the KDP joining, the total rose to thirteen.

The KDP, one of the ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region, announced its decision to participate in the upcoming elections on Sunday, ending a previously declared boycott from March.

Al-Ghalai explained that the final number of participants will be determined after collecting and analyzing the registration data.

She insisted that “all legal, administrative, financial, and technical aspects are prepared. The electoral commission is a technical body, uninvolved in the political side, and executes laws, obligations, and decisions issued by the Federal Court and the Judicial Council.”

The IHEC is awaiting a regional decree from the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region to finalize the election date. Although the commission proposed September 5 as the election date, it has not yet been finalized, Al-Ghalai emphasized, addressing some media reports to the contrary.