In addition to the observers, officials from the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad and the Turkish Consulate in Mosul will also take part in monitoring the elections, scheduled to take place on Saturday.
There are around 2.5 million registered voters for the elections, which will elect the president of the autonomous region via popular vote for the first time, the Anatolia news agency reported.
Earlier news reports said that five candidates are challenging incumbent Massoud Barzani, with Barzani being favored to win reelection. In 2005, Barzani was elected by the local parliament
Earlier this month, reports from the region said that Iraq's electoral commission had barred the Al-Hal party, which is close to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), from participating in the vote with its Al-Amal (“hope” in Arabic) list. The PKK is listed as a terrorist group by a large majority of the international community.
Around 40 political entities have registered to contest the 111 seats in the parliamentary assembly. The Anatolia news agency, meanwhile, reported that security forces, prisoners and hospital staff will cast their votes early, on Thursday.
