Kurdistan election campaign to officially begin on Wednesday

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the head of the Iraqi Electoral Commission, Judge Omar Ahmed Mohammed, announced the start of the campaign for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, set to begin on Wednesday and run for 20 days.

Speaking at a press conference in Baghdad, Judge Mohammed confirmed that the campaign will take place from September 25 to October 15.

“1,190 candidates have registered to run in the Kurdistan elections, representing 136 electoral lists.” He explained.

In June 2024, President Nechirvan Barzani issued a regional decree scheduling October 20, 2024, as the official date for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections.

The vote will see the election of 100 lawmakers, representing the governorates of Iraqi Kurdistan: Erbil (34 seats, including one for Christians and one for Turkmen), Halabja (three seats), Al-Sulaymaniyah (38 seats, including one for Christians and one for Turkmen), and Duhok (25 seats, including one for Christians).

Earlier today, the Coalition of Networks and National Organizations for Election Monitoring revealed the existence of pre-campaign activities in the Kurdistan Region, particularly on social media, ahead of the officially designated campaign period.

The coalition urged political parties, candidates, media outlets, and social media platforms to be cautious about election promotion and the media discourse from competing parties ahead of the upcoming sixth parliamentary elections.

Observers and citizens have noticed that many candidates have already started their promotional campaigns, particularly in the media and on social media platforms, sharing their numbers or the lottery results of their parties. This trend has been accompanied by an increase in provocative and alarming statements.

The coalition emphasized that “such actions pose a threat to the electoral process before the official campaign has even begun, negatively affecting voter sentiment and potentially inciting conflicts among supporters of competing parties once the campaigns launch. This could undermine public peace and create a pretext for postponing elections, severely deteriorating the political landscape.”

Furthermore, they urged the commission to take strict action against any violations of electoral campaign rules by parties and candidates to ensure a fair and transparent election process. They stressed the importance of upholding the law, respecting the desires of voters in the Region, and creating suitable conditions for expanding voter participation in the upcoming elections.