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The vote began Sunday in Iraqi Kurdistan for a new parliament in the autonomous region, plagued by an economic crisis a year after the referendum on independence that has made Baghdad furious.
Nearly 3.1 million voters are eligible to vote in three northern provinces, where 673 candidates from 29 political parties compete for seats in Parliament, which has 111 members.
Eleven of the seats, however, are reserved for religious and ethnic minorities: five for the Turkmen candidates, five for the Christians and one for the Armenian community.
The Kurds of Iraq were a key partner of the United States in the war against the jihadist group of the Islamic State (IS) and had hoped that their role would strengthen international support for the creation of 39, a State.
But a massive "yes" vote in the September 2017 independence referendum, deemed illegal by the Iraqi federal government, has turned against the oil-rich Kurdish autonomous region.
Baghdad imposed economic sanctions and sent federal troops to drive Kurdish forces away from oil deposits essential to the region's economy, thereby depriving it of a vital lifeline.
This election must "open a new chapter" in relations between Kurdistan and Baghdad, said 26-year-old Hawar Salar, while he was voting in the regional capital Arbil.
The vote, he said, comes "after the problems caused by the referendum and the war against the ISIS group".
Kurdistan had experienced an economic boom after the invasion of Iraq by the US government in 2003 that toppled veteran dictator Saddam Hussein, while the rest of the country was plunged into violence.
But the emergence of the IS in 2014, coupled with falling oil prices, hit the economy of the region.
Since 2014, Iraqi Kurdistan has borrowed more than $ 4 billion to stay afloat, according to some experts. Before the cursed referendum, he had incurred a debt of about $ 12 billion.
According to official figures, 87% of households in Iraqi Kurdistan, where about six million people live, earn less than $ 850 a month.
"The future authorities must take care of the population, especially the poor," said Soran Rassul, an unemployed person who voted in Sulaimaniyah, the second largest city in Kurdistan.
According to experts, the elections should not change the political map in Kurdistan, but could shed light on the divisions that emerged after the 2017 referendum.
– traditional rivals –
The parties that have ruled for a long time are about to go out again.
The outgoing Parliament is dominated by the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, former leader and former president Massoud Barzani – who has championed the referendum vote – just like the government.
The PDK currently holds 38 seats, while its traditional rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), has 18 seats.
The main opposition party, Goran (Change), has 24 seats in the outgoing parliament.
There is only one new political party in the running – the New Generation Movement, founded in 2018 to channel public anger against the region's elite.
"We need a strong parliament that will work towards the creation of a Kurdish state and a modern democratic society," said Karouan Abu Bakr, 42.
The vote in Kurdistan comes amidst major political changes, not only in the region but elsewhere in the country.
Iraq is still struggling to form a new government after a national parliamentary poll in May.
On Monday, the federal parliament in Baghdad will elect the country's president.
A PUK Kurd has traditionally held this symbolic position, but this year, the KDP is also presenting a candidate.
An Iraqi Kurd shows his finger stained ink after voting in the regional capital Arbil on September 30, 2018
Iraqi Kurdish woman prepares to vote in Arbil on September 30, 2018
An Iraqi Kurd voted in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Northern Iraq, on September 30, 2018
Iraqi Kurdish woman shows her finger smudged with ink after voting in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region, on September 30, 2018
