Since the first parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan Region in 1992, the Kurdistan Region has held 13 general elections for the Kurdistan Parliament, Provincial Councils, and the Iraqi Council of Representatives.
1. First Kurdistan Parliament Elections (May 19, 1992)
Eligible voters: 1,112,000
Votes cast: 971,953
Turnout: 87.4%
Invalid votes: 4,724
Valid votes: 967,229
Breakdown:
Erbil: 333,802 valid (87.4%)
Sulaymaniyah: 347,952 valid (87.3%)
Duhok: 197,370 valid (87.6%)
Kirkuk region: 88,114 valid (87.3%)
2. Second Kurdistan Parliament elections (Jan 30, 2005)
Eligible voters: 2,290,736
Votes cast: 1,753,919
Turnout: 76.6%
3. First Provincial Council Elections (Jan 30, 2005)
Eligible voters: 2,290,736
Votes cast: 1,767,993
Turnout: 77.2%
4. First Iraqi National Assembly Elections (Jan 30, 2005)
Eligible voters: 2,290,736
Votes cast: ≈2,175,551 (95%) within Kurdistan under the “Kurdistan Alliance”
Highest recorded turnout in the history of New Iraq (95%)
5. Third Kurdistan Parliament elections (July 25, 2009)
Eligible voters: 2,518,773
Votes cast: 1,876,196
Turnout: 74.5%
6. Second Iraqi Parliamentary Elections (Mar 7, 2010)
Eligible voters: 2,590,274
Votes cast: 1,938,754
Turnout: 74.8%
Breakdown:
Erbil: 74%
Sulaymaniyah: 76%
Duhok: 74%
7. Fourth Kurdistan Parliament elections (Sept 21, 2013)
Eligible voters: 2,653,743
Votes cast: 1,978,382
Turnout: 74.6%
8. Third Iraqi Parliament Elections (Apr 30, 2014)
Eligible voters: 2,717,082
Votes cast: 2,128,167
Turnout: 78.3%
Breakdown:
Erbil: 79%
Sulaymaniyah: 76%
Duhok: 80%
9. Second Provincial Council Elections (Apr 30, 2014)
Eligible voters: 2,717,082
Votes cast: 2,161,038
Turnout: 79.5%
10. Fourth Iraqi Parliament Elections (May 12, 2018)
Eligible voters: 3,758,896
Votes cast: 1,799,686
Turnout: 47.9%
11. Fifth Kurdistan Parliament election (Sept 30, 2018)
Eligible voters: 3,085,461
Votes cast: 1,845,979
Turnout: 59.8%
12. Early Iraqi Parliament Elections (Oct 10, 2021)
Eligible voters: 3,450,773
Votes cast: 1,233,451
Turnout: 35.7%
Lowest recorded turnout since 1992.
Breakdown:
Erbil: 35.7%
Sulaymaniyah: 28.3%
Duhok: 48.1%
13. Sixth Kurdistan Parliament elections (Oct 20, 2024)
Eligible voters (biometric card updated): 2,899,578
Votes cast: 2,085,949
Turnout: 72%
Invalid votes: 206,434
Breakdown:
Erbil: 75%
Sulaymaniyah: 66%
Duhok: 78%
Halabja: 69%
Summary Analysis
Over 32 years, voter eligibility in the Kurdistan Region increased from 1.1 million (1992) to nearly 3.8 million (2024) — a 210% increase.
However, actual participation only grew by about 27%.
Turnout has declined sharply over time, from 87.4% (1992) to 35.7% (2021), with a recovery to 72% in the 2024 regional vote.
Peak turnout: 95% (Iraqi Parliament 2005)
Lowest turnout: 35.7% (Iraqi Parliament 2021)
2024 recovery: 72% (Kurdistan Parliament)
Long-term trend: eligible voters tripled, but turnout rates declined overall — showing voter fatigue and distrust over time.
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