Kurdistan
Monument in Halabja built to honor the victims of the chemical attack on the city. File photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s newest province Halabja will not be considered its own constituency in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, an electoral official told Rudaw on Saturday.
“We work according to the 2023 election law, which was voted on in the Iraqi parliament. At that time, Halabja was not a province. It was even after the election date was determined that Halabja was made a province, so it is still counted under the Sulaimani constituency,” said Nabard Omar, head of the Kurdistan Region electoral team at the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
“In future elections, Halabja will be designated as an independent constituency,” he added.
The Iraqi parliament officially recognized Halabja as the country’s 19th province and the Kurdistan Region’s fourth in April, passing a long-awaited bill.
The Iraqi Council of Ministers had initially approved Halabja’s status change in 2013, separating it from Sulaimani province, but political disputes delayed the formalization for more than a decade.
As the site of the devastating 1988 chemical weapon attack by the former regime, Halabja stands out as a potent symbol of Kurdish resilience.
Iraq’s electoral commission has allocated 15 seats for Erbil, 17 for Sulaimani, and 11 for Duhok, with each province receiving one additional seat for minorities.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 11. According to IHEC, 854 candidates have registered to run, including 76 independents.
Approximately 29 million citizens in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region will have the right to vote, but only those with biometric voting cards will be able to cast a ballot.
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