Ali Hama Saleh, head of the National Stance Movement (Halwest), told Rudaw that while his party’s participation in the next Iraqi government depends on the final results, he expects “a surprise” once vote counting begins.

“People are in for a surprise tonight after the ballot count begins,” Saleh said, referring to his party’s challenge against the Kurdistan Region’s dominant factions — the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). “Tonight people will see [the surprise from] a party that campaigned through mobile phones, competing with two very large parties.”

Polling stations opened across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region at 7 a.m. local time. Campaigning, which began on October 3, ended on November 8 with the start of the mandatory electoral silence period.

During the campaign, the Halwest movement largely relied on social media to reach voters. “If we obtain a good number of seats, we will participate in the Iraqi government, God willing, for one reason: so that the Council of Ministers is not left only for the PUK and the KDP,” Saleh said.

Halwest fielded 12 candidates in Erbil, 16 in Sulaimani, and four in Duhok. Saleh reiterated that while his party is open to joining the next federal government, it will not form alliances with the two ruling Kurdish parties. “We will participate in the [federal] government, but we will not enter into any alliance with the KDP and PUK in Baghdad. We will go and negotiate alone,” he added.

Saleh also called for the inclusion of other Kurdish parties in Iraq’s central government to ensure fair representation and protection of Kurdish interests. He emphasized the need to safeguard the Kurdistan Region’s oil revenues, the rights of civil servants and farmers, and to address “hundreds of other issues.”

According to Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), more than 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in this year’s elections. A total of 31 alliances, 38 political parties, 23 independent candidates, and 56 quota candidates are competing for 329 parliamentary seats, including nine reserved for minorities.

By midday Tuesday, the IHEC reported a nationwide voter turnout of 23.9 percent. In the Kurdistan Region, participation stood at 28.93 percent in Erbil, 27.36 percent in Duhok, and 24.88 percent in Sulaimani.