ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Over 1,500 schools across the Kurdistan Region will be converted into polling centers for Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections and all schools will be closed for a week, Iraq’s electoral commission said.
Starting Thursday, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) will take charge of school buildings from the Kurdish education ministry to begin preparations and set up polling centers, Nabard Omar, director of IHEC’s office in the Kurdistan Region, told Rudaw on Sunday.
“Voting will be held in 1,516 schools for the sixth session of the Iraqi parliament; 1,312 schools for the general vote and 204 schools for the early vote,” Omar said.
Early voting includes members of security forces.
Education ministry spokesperson Saman Siwaili told Rudaw that “all schools will have a holiday” from November 6 to 12 to allow for election-related preparations and voting.
Iraq will hold federal legislative elections on November 11, with early voting scheduled for November 10.
According to IHEC, more than 39,000 polling stations will be open across 8,703 centers for the general vote.