Iraqi Kurds head to the polls for new parliament
Iraqi Kurds head to the polls for new parliament
Early polls indicate that turnout is down considerable for the vote, which comes a year after Iraqi Kurds overwhelmingly backed an independence referendum.
2 min read
An Iraqi Kurdish woman casts her ballot in Irbil [Getty]
Iraqi Kurds headed to the polls on Sunday for a new parliament in the autonomous region, a year after voters backed an independence referendum that enraged Baghdad.
Almost 3.1 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region where 673 candidates from 29 political movements are vying for seats in the 111-member parliament.
But by noon turnout appeared to be low, with many blaming the regional election commission's new requirement issued on Saturday that voters show two forms of ID.
Iraq's Kurds established a regional government in 1992 after the US enforced a no-fly zone across the north following the Gulf War. They have since been a key US partner in the war against the Islamic State and had hoped their role would boost international support for statehood.
Almost 3.1 million voters were eligible to cast ballots across three provinces in the northern region where 673 candidates from 29 political movements are vying for seats in the 111-member parliament.
But by noon turnout appeared to be low, with many blaming the regional election commission's new requirement issued on Saturday that voters show two forms of ID.
Iraq's Kurds established a regional government in 1992 after the US enforced a no-fly zone across the north following the Gulf War. They have since been a key US partner in the war against the Islamic State and had hoped their role would boost international support for statehood.
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