Shafaq News/ A large number of voters began to flock to polling stations across all cities of the Kurdistan Region, as the parliamentary elections reached their peak.

Shafaq News correspondent said that polling stations in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, have witnessed a turnout of electors since the opening of ballot boxes in the early morning hours, despite some technical issues reported at certain stations.

Kamran, a voter in Erbil, told Shafaq News that “the voting process is going well and very smoothly, it takes only a few minutes to cast each vote,” expressing his hope that citizens will participate actively in the elections to give confidence to the right party and change for the better.

For his part, Ardalan, another Kurdish voter, told Shafaq News, “Participation in the elections is important. I hope that citizens do not abstain from voting, as the hopes of the Kurdish people are focused on the next government's ability to solve issues, particularly economic challenges such as salaries, which have negatively and directly affected citizens.”

The scene in Erbil was mirrored across the Kurdistan Region, with provinces like Duhok, Halabja, and Al-Sulaymaniyah witnessing strong participation at polling stations.

The total number of electors in the Kurdistan Region is 2,899,578. Among them, 215,960 are eligible to vote in the special ballot, while the remaining 2,683,618 voters will vote in the general ballot on Sunday.

Voting for the sixth round of the Kurdistan Parliament elections began on Sunday, following the completion of the special voting process for military and security forces two days ago.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC) opened 1,622 polling stations at 07:00 a.m. for eligible residents across the Region, with a total of 2,683,618 eligible voters out of 2,899,578 registered voters.

On Friday, the commission reported that 97% of the 215,960 eligible Peshmerga and internal security forces had participated in the special voting. It also confirmed that the voting process proceeded smoothly, with no major violations reported.

A total of 1,091 candidates from both genders are competing for 100 seats in the Kurdistan Parliament, five of which are reserved for minority groups. This number has been reduced from 11 seats following a decision by the Federal Supreme Court, Iraq's highest judicial authority.