After repeated delays, Iraqi Kurdistan’s sixth parliamentary elections since 1992 are finally slated to be held next month. Originally scheduled for 2022, the upcoming Oct. 20 polls have faced multiple obstacles—largely stemming from disputes between the two dominant Kurdish parties: the Erbil-based Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sulaimaniyah-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

Ahead of the vote, political factions face a radically altered electoral landscape. Possibly the most dramatic change to the Kurdistan region’s legislature came in February this year...