On October 20, elections were held for the parliament of the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Voter turnout was 70% of registered voters. Around 3 million people were eligible to vote in four electoral regions.
International organizations such as the United Nations commended the peaceful and transparent election process. Representatives of the United Nations also accompanied the election process on site.
Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Parliamentary electionshttps://t.co/iCYZj4QDS5 pic.twitter.com/ldUmpVK2Zc
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) October 22, 2024
The elections were conducted by the Iraqi Electoral Commission (IHEC). Apart from technical problems with the identification of voters in some polling stations, voters were able to cast their votes without incident.
In this year’s election, 100 seats were allocated, including at least 30 percent for women and five seats reserved for minorities such as the Turkmen and Christians. A total of eight different parties will be represented in the new parliament. As in previous years, the two dominant political forces, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), have also won seats. The distribution of seats according to the preliminary final result is as follows:
• KDP: 39 seats
• PUK: 23 seats
• New Generation Movement: 15 seats
• Kurdistan Islamic Union: 7 seats
• Helwest: 4 seats
• Kurdistan Justice Group: 3 seats
• Sonstige: 4 seats
• Minderheitenvertreter: 5 seats
Background
The Kurdistan Region Parliament is the central representative body of the population of the Kurdistan Region. It was founded in 1992, six months after the Kurds gained autonomy. The Parliament plays an important role in legislating in areas such as finance, health, education and security within the federal system of Iraq.
Preview
Traditionally, the strongest party in parliamentary elections provides the prime minister, who then appoints a cabinet.
The newly elected parliament will not only make crucial political decisions for the next four years, but will also elect a new president of the Kurdistan Region, who will play an important role in representing the Region on a national and international level.
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