Shafaq News – Erbil

Security forces in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Erbil arrested two individuals Monday for firing gunshots into the air along 120-Meter Street during a political campaign stunt.

In a statement, the Erbil Police Directorate reported receiving multiple complaints about gunfire, quickly tracing the incident to a white MG vehicle with local plates. The suspects, identified as M.H.S. and S.T.T., were promoting a political group and discharged weapons as part of a staged display.

Authorities condemned the act as a violation of Kurdistan Region law and electoral rules, warning that any attempt to disturb public order or disrupt the campaign period will face strict legal consequences.

The incident follows a spike in election-related violations across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, with the electoral monitoring network, Shams, recording over 1,000 breaches, including illegal ads and firearm use at campaign events.

Iraq is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections on November 11 under the amended Election Law No. 9 of 2020, which reinstates the Sainte-Laguë system and returns to larger electoral districts—widely viewed as favoring established parties over independents.

In Erbil, more than 1 million voters are eligible to participate. The province, which borders Iran and Turkiye and has a majority Sunni Kurdish population, will elect 16 members in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament, including four women under the quota system.

Read more: The Kurdish spine of Iraq’s elections: Unity tested by division