Iraq’s electoral commission announced Friday that a historic number of citizens have registered for biometric voting cards ahead of the November parliamentary elections, signaling strong public participation in the upcoming polls.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) reported that over 2.1 million Iraqis signed up for biometric voter cards—the highest since the system was introduced in 2005.

“This is the largest registration turnout in two decades, showing citizens’ growing trust in the electoral process,” said Imad Jamil, IHEC’s media chief.

Key Statistics

Total new registrations: 2,155,097
Total eligible voters nationwide: 21.4 million

2021 comparison: Only 1.4 million updated their records despite a longer registration window.

Top Regions for New Voters

Baghdad: 475,318 (highest in Iraq)
Nineveh: 289,556

Kurdistan Region:

Erbil: 153,032
Sulaimani: 115,454
Duhok: 75,781

IHEC confirmed that only voters with biometric cards will be allowed to cast ballots in the November 11 elections, where 29 million Iraqis are eligible to participate.

The registration deadline was extended multiple times before closing Friday at 3:30 p.m., reflecting authorities’ push for broader voter inclusion.