Deputy President of the High Council of electoral commission, Rizgar Hama told NRT that there are more than 943,639 early voters, 210,000 of which are in the Kurdistan Region.

Members of the security forces include Iraqi army, Peshmerga, interior and defense ministries and counter-terrorism forces.

He added 1,079 polling stations are open for early voters in 21 countries, NRT reported.

Early voting has started since 7 a.m. on Thursday and continues until 6 p.m. across Iraq.

Diasporas in Australia and New Zealand have also started voting for the parliamentary election.

Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission said 91,321 early voters can vote in 45 polling stations in Erbil.

In Sulaimani Halabja, there 33 polling stations for 82,823 early voters, the electoral commission said. There are also 21 polling stations for 46,558 early voters.

The electoral commission also said 26,358 early voters can vote in 15 stations for the early parliamentary election in Kirkuk. Up to 31,142 voters can cast their votes in 32 polling stations in Nineveh province. In Diyala province, 31 polling stations are open for 41,791 early voters.

Reporter’s code: 50101