Both public and private schools, including international institutions, will be affected by the closure. Regular classes will resume on October 22, according to the ministry’s statement on Facebook.

Nabard Omar, head of the Kurdistan Region's election committee at Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), said the holiday was necessary to allow for preparations at polling stations, many of which will be located in schools. “We requested the handover of schools designated as polling stations so we can transfer equipment and materials,” Omar said.

Voting will take place at 1,400 polling stations across the Kurdistan Region, including disputed areas and other Iraqi provinces. Omar confirmed that “95 percent of preparations” are complete for the elections, which will take place two years later than originally scheduled due to political disputes.

A total of 1,191 candidates, including 823 men, 368 women, and 38 representatives from minority communities, are running for 100 seats in the Kurdistan parliament. Early voting for security forces and internally displaced persons (IDPs) will occur on October 18, with general voting on October 20.

The delayed elections follow a 2022 vote by the previous parliament to extend its mandate, a decision ruled unconstitutional by Iraq’s federal supreme court in May 2023. (ILKHA)