Erbil, Kurdistan Region – A senior source from the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has confirmed that all branches in the provinces of Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaymaniyah have prepared a preliminary list of candidates for the upcoming sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliament elections. This list will be submitted to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) soon.

According to the source, the KDP will present its list of candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections to the Iraqi Electoral Commission in the near future. A party official stated confidently, "Our candidates will win the elections without a doubt."

The source indicated that the list is "preliminary" as the Political Bureau has not yet given final approval on the candidates' names, and there is a possibility of changes. "The final list is expected to be approved in the coming days and submitted to the Iraqi Electoral Commission before July 15, 2024," he added.

On Monday, July 8, 2024, the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq announced the number of eligible voters for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Region Parliament elections.

Jumana Al-Ghalai, the spokesperson for the commission, stated that "Erbil province has 1,366,462 voters, of whom 1,016,357 have issued their biometric cards."

She explained that "the number of voters in the provinces of Sulaymaniyah and Halabja is 1,496,000, of whom 1,146,000 have issued their biometric cards."

Regarding Duhok province, Al-Ghalai indicated that "the number of voters in Duhok is 926,000, and as of July 3, 2024, 738,000 of them have issued their biometric cards."

According to the Independent High Electoral Commission, the total number of voters for the sixth session of the Kurdistan Region Parliament elections is 3,789,000, of whom 2,901,000 have issued their biometric cards so far.

In this context, the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission announced on Monday, July 1, 2024, that it needs more than 42,000 polling staff to conduct the Kurdistan Region Parliament elections.

In a statement to Kurdistan24, Jumana Al-Ghalai said, "The commission needs more than 42,000 polling staff to conduct the Kurdistan Region Parliament elections."

Al-Ghalai explained that "the Board of Commissioners will determine the issue of compensation at a later time."

During a press conference on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, Delshad Shehab, the spokesperson for the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, announced that the President of the Region, Nechirvan Barzani, has signed a regional decree setting the date for the next session of the Kurdistan Parliament elections.

Shehab added that according to the decree and based on paragraph (2) of article (1) of the amended Law No. (1) of 2005 on the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region, the President of the Kurdistan Region has decided to set October 20, 2024, as the date for the general elections of the sixth session of the Kurdistan Parliament.

The spokesperson for the Presidency of the Kurdistan Region confirmed that the new date for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections was set after a thorough assessment of the election requirements, discussions with relevant parties, and listening to opinions.

According to Regional Decree No. 222 of 2024, all relevant entities are required to take the necessary measures to cooperate and coordinate with the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq to implement this decree.