Shafaq News – Erbil

Voter turnout in Erbil, Kurdistan Region’s capital, reached 97%, about an hour before polling stations were set to close, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw, who also heads the province’s High Security Committee for Elections, announced on Sunday.

The special voting process in the Kurdish capital continued smoothly as part of Iraq’s sixth parliamentary elections.

Speaking to reporters, Khoshnaw said that despite some remarks and objections raised by certain political parties and candidates, “the electoral process is proceeding normally.”

He noted that all procedures approved by the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) had been implemented precisely, adding that this round “recorded the lowest rate of technical issues related to devices or biometric readings.”

The governor confirmed that polling would close without any extension, emphasizing that “the elections are being conducted according to an organized schedule and with effective security and administrative measures.”

Regarding internally displaced voters, Khoshnaw said that 547 people were eligible to vote in the special polling centers and had cast their ballots, noting that “the lower number of voters in this category is due to earlier political interventions.”

Special voting for security, defense, and service sectors, as well as internally displaced persons, began at 7:00 a.m. Sunday across 809 polling centers and 4,501 voting stations. As for the general election on Tuesday, November 11, approximately 20 million Iraqis are eligible to vote nationwide, including over 3 million in Kurdistan.

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