45,854 voters cast ballots in Kurdistan, Kirkuk

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An estimated 45,854 displaced persons in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and Kirkuk province have cast ballots in the provincial council elections held yesterday, the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Sunday. “The number of displaced persons who participated in the election in the Kurdistan region and Kirkuk was very small,” Faraj al-Haidari told IraqiNews.com news agency. “A total of 1,294 displaced persons voted in Kirkuk, 1,690 in Sulaimaniya, 12,441 in Arbil and 30,429 in Duhuk,” Haidari explained. “There is a large number of displaced persons in the region, but they have not been registered with the immigrants’ department,” he added. Voters yesterday (Jan. 31) headed to polling stations in Baghdad and 13 other Iraqi provinces to elect their representatives in the country’s provincial councils amidst tight security measures. Over 15 million voters participated in the election, according to the IHEC. Security personnel, prisoners sentenced to less than five years and hospital-bound cast early ballots in the special voting, held on Wednesday (Jan. 28). Participation in the local council elections all over Iraq reached 51 percent, the IHEC said. SS (P) 1