With opposition parties weak, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are likely to extend their almost three decades of sharing power.

Even though relations between Erbil, the capital of the region, and Baghdad have improved, the Kurdish region has lost territory and economic autonomy after its independence referendum September last year, and voter frustration is rising.

“This is the first time that I’m not voting,” said Ahmed Abdullah, a 68-year-old retiree. “The two parties in power steal and lie, and that’s how they stay in power. I’ve stopped believing anything will change.” Abdullah had been a supporter of the PUK, the second largest party, led by the Talabani family and based around Sulaimani.

Years of stagnant politics, unpaid salaries and corruption have undermined faith in politics and shrunk the turnout in recent elections. The situation was not helped by the suspension of parliament between 2015 and 2017 due to in-fighting.

“What’s the point of voting? Nothing ever changes, whether we vote or not. Things just get worse,” said 38-year-old teacher Alan Baram.

Senior KDP leader Hoshyar Zebari acknowledged that allegations of Kurdish fraud in May’s federal election had undermined public confidence, and said Sunday’s vote was “critical to restoring the legitimacy of our institutions”.

But most major parties say they do not expect more than about 40 per cent of the 3.85 million registered voters to go to the polls - below even the record low of 44.5 per cent who voted in the federal election.

A low turnout could benefit the KDP and PUK, whose voters tend to be more committed, respecting their role in establishing autonomy after the Gulf War of 1991.

The KDP also commands some respect for ushering in the referendum, despite the negative consequences for the region, while the PUK has yet to heal the internal rifts that opened when its founder Jalal Talabani died in 2017.

Those PUK divisions have not been helped by the decision of Barham Salih to quit the opposition Coalition for Democracy and Justice, which he founded, in order to rejoin the PUK and seek the Iraqi presidency.

Salih’s former party has all but collapsed and, further clearing the field for the KDP, the main opposition party, Gorran, is still rebuilding after the death of its charismatic leader in 2017.

All opposition parties were further weakened by dismal showings in May’s federal election, amid multiple allegations - not confirmed in the subsequent recount - of fraud by the two main parties.

Reporter’s code: 50101