Kirkuk Residents Line-up to Vote in Kurdistan Referendum

People across Iraqi Kurdistan cast their vote on September 25 in a non-binding independence referendum organized by the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Despite regional and international pressure to call off the vote, polls opened to an estimated 5.2 million people that were eligible to vote, including those living abroad who were able to vote electronically from September 23.

While the vote is non-binding, it would give President of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq Masoud Barzani the mandate to negotiate secession with the Iraqi government, Reuters reported.

This video shows a lines forming at a Kirkuk polling station on September 25, as residents wait to vote. Credit: Mera J Bakr via Storyful