The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) is leading in the initial, unofficial results from the special parliamentary voting held across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, according to early figures released Monday.

The special voting, which took place on Sunday, was designated for members of the security forces and displaced citizens. The main general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11.

Based on the preliminary counts, the KDP has garnered 94,666 votes. Its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), is trailing in second place with 78,230 votes.

Several smaller Kurdish parties received significantly fewer ballots. The New Generation Movement secured 4,808 votes, followed by the Halwest Front with 7,895, the Kurdistan Justice Group with 4,512, the Kurdistan Justice Party with 1,338, and the People’s Path with 1,153 votes.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has not yet officially certified these results. A spokesperson for the commission, Jumana Ghalai, emphasized that the figures remain unofficial and are subject to change until the final count is completed. Ghalai did, however, note that the manual and electronic tallies matched, which she said indicated a transparent and accurate counting process.

Voter participation was notably high. Nationwide, the special voting turnout reached 82.42%. Within the Kurdistan Region, participation climbed to 98% across its three provinces of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok.

The general election on Tuesday will see millions of Iraqis head to the polls. The final results, which will combine the special and general votes, are crucial as they will determine the distribution of seats in the next parliament and ultimately shape the formation of Iraq's new government.

All eyes will now be on the IHEC as it works to finalize the count from the special vote and prepare for the much larger general election.