Iranian residents in Iraq to vote in Kurdistan during Iran's presidential elections

Shafaq News/ The Independent High Electoral Commission office in Kirkuk announced on Thursday that Iranian residents in the governorate will participate in the Iranian presidential elections, scheduled for Friday, at designated centers in the Kurdistan Region.

Ali Al-Bayati, spokesperson for the electoral commission in Kirkuk, told Shafaq News Agency that as of today, no instructions have been received regarding the opening of a polling center for Iranian residents in the governorate during the presidential elections.

A source confirmed to Shafaq News that the Iranian consulate in Kirkuk had planned to open a polling center but has not made a final decision. Iranian workers in Kirkuk are expected to travel to the Iranian consulate in Al-Sulaymaniyah or Erbil to cast their votes.

Deputy Governor of Duhok, Majid Sayed Saleh, announced the opening of a mobile polling center for Iranian residents. The center will start operating at 8:00 AM at the Tanahee Complex in western Duhok City, moving subsequently to Aqra and concluding in Erbil.

Saleh assured that security preparations are in place, with voting supervised by the Iranian consulate in Erbil.

Yesterday, the Iranian Embassy in Iraq announced the preparation of 14 centers in 9 Iraqi cities for the Iranian community to participate in the Iranian presidential elections.

In a statement, the Embassy invited Iranian residents and visitors to religious shrines in Iraq to participate in the elections by visiting 24 designated polling stations.

Polling stations in Baghdad are set up in the Al-Salihiya area, Al-Kadhimiya, and at the Shrine of Imam Sadr Street, allowing Iranians to vote in the elections.

Unofficial estimates suggest more than ten thousand Iranian women married to Iraqis reside in Iraq, along with thousands of visitors to religious shrines and employees of Iranian embassies and consulates in Baghdad, Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Basra, Karbala, and Najaf.

Iran's 14th presidential election, originally scheduled for 2025, was postponed after the tragic death of late President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in the country's mountainous northwestern region on May 19. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and other officials also lost their lives in the accident.

The candidates still in contention include Saeed Jalili, a former chief nuclear negotiator; Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament; Mostafa Pourmohammadi, former Minister of Interior; and Masoud Pezeshkian, former Minister of Health.