Skip to main content

Kurdish opposition warns fraud, intimidation to taint upcoming election

As the Iraq Kurdistan Region prepares to hold its parliamentary elections Sept. 30, the opposition is deeply concerned about voter fraud by the two ruling parties.
An Iraqi woman casts her vote in Iraq's parliamentary election (ballot-L) and in a postponed Kurdish regional election (ballot-R) in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on April 30, 2014. Iraqis streamed to voting centres nationwide, amid the worst bloodshed in years, as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seeks reelection. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED        (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Iraqi Kurdistan's parliamentary elections will be held on Sept. 30. Early voting for the peshmerga and other security services will start Sept. 28.

The election was due to be held last November, but it was postponed by the parliament. The election will bring a new regional government in Kurdistan. In addition to the main two Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, several small parties including Gorran and Kurdistan Islamic Group are participating in the election. The small parties fear large-scale fraud by the current government, which is shared by the two parties.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.