Analysis: Looking Back on the 2018 Kurdish Elections

The 2018 electoral process - tainted by voter discontent, historically low turnout and allegations of electoral fraud - is a window to understand the ongoing citizen disillusionment and political impasse that characterize Kurdish politics today. This policy memo analyzes the 2018 Kurdish electoral process, from the pre-election campaign strategies and slogans to the post-election allegations of voter fraud. The ongoing fragmentation of political blocs, compounded by increasing citizen disengagement and voter apathy, threaten the credibility of the Kurdish electoral process and the formation of a functioning KRG goverment.