ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Thursday marks the final day for candidates to register for Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections, coming after election hopefuls have had over a month to apply for eligibility.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) began accepting nominations on May 25 for both open lists and individual candidates. The original deadline was June 24, but the commission extended the deadline until the end of working hours on June 26. The extension is final and will not be renewed, according to IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai.

A document from the commission, issued Wednesday evening, said the board discussed a request to extend the deadline again.

The request came from Commissioner Judge Ali Rashid Mohammed Abdullah. After a meeting with the technical assistant to the head of the electoral administration and internal discussions, the board decided not to allow any further extensions. The decision is based on the official election timeline approved in April.

Iraq is set to hold its parliamentary elections on November 11, 2025, to choose members of the sixth term of the Council of Representatives.

The IHEC said in a statement that preparations are underway, with the commission having completed its initial plan for setting up polling centers and stations. There will be 8,788 polling centers and 40,819 polling stations across the country, the body said

So far, 231,016 people have applied to work as election staff, with the IHEC saying it needs around 250,000 workers for election day.

Out of 339 licensed political parties, 114 have shown interest in taking part in the elections. In addition, 66 coalitions are registered with the commission, of which 18 of which have applied to join the 2025 vote. The IHEC has also approved two new coalitions and registered 13 individual candidate lists.

According to the commission, nearly 30 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, including more than one million who will vote for the first time.