Journalist Aram Germiyanî alleged that the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) pressured security forces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to photograph their ballots during a special voting process, leading to unrest in several areas, including Erbil (Hewlêr), Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî) and Halabja (Helebce).
The voting, which began at 7 am on Friday, is designated for 215,960 eligible voters—security personnel, prisoners and hospitalised individuals—across 165 polling stations in the KRI, Kirkuk (Kerkûk) and seven other Iraqi cities. Germiyanî reported tensions, particularly in Erbil, where security forces tried to enter polling stations with their phones. “The KDP is demanding proof in the form of ballot photographs because they doubt security personnel will vote for them,” Germiyanî stated. He noted similar issues in Halabja, while in Erbil, a fight broke out at a school, where a gunshot was fired. Despite this, no major incidents have been reported.
Germiyanî highlighted that security forces, whose votes make up the majority in the special election, are primarily aligned with either the KDP or the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KDP has a stronger presence in Erbil and Duhok, while the PUK leads in Sulaymaniyah and Halabja.
Germiyanî also raised concerns about past electoral practices by the KDP, such as bringing in external voters from Turkey, including those aligned with Turkish state-affiliated village guards, and ENKS supporters from Rojava, to sway the vote in their favour. “These individuals, who are normally ineligible to vote, were issued ID cards by the KDP,” he explained. In this election, however, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission is overseeing the process, unlike previous years when a local commission managed the elections. According to Germiyanî, fraudulent names—up to 400,000—have been removed from the voter rolls, most of them allegedly tied to the KDP.
He further remarked on the KDP’s precarious position in this election, revealing that Nechirvan Barzani had travelled to Ankara to seek assistance from Turkish President Erdoğan. “Given the political climate in Iraq, Turkey’s ability to support the KDP appears limited,” Germiyanî concluded.
