Iraqi Kurdistan Votes: A Milestone Amid Delays

Iraqi Kurds participated in a long-delayed parliamentary election to choose lawmakers who will appoint key government officials in the semi-autonomous region. Despite weak opposition, the two main political parties are expected to maintain their power-sharing agreement. Voting concluded in the Kurdish capital, Erbil, by evening.

Iraqi Kurds turned out to vote in a parliamentary election held in their semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq on Sunday, marking an event repeatedly postponed due to political discord.

The election will determine 100 lawmakers tasked with selecting a parliament speaker, a president, and a prime minister for Iraqi Kurdistan, a region that has enjoyed self-rule since 1991. Initially scheduled for 2022, the vote had been delayed over disagreements between the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Despite weak opposition parties, these two dominant parties are anticipated to extend their more than three-decade power-sharing arrangement. Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time. Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraqi Kurdistan, expressed optimism about forming a unified regional government quickly and improving citizen welfare after casting his vote in Erbil.

(With inputs from agencies.)