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Iraqi Kurds living abroad began online voting on Saturday ahead of an independence referendum set to take place in the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, RIA Novosti reported.

Karwan Jalal, a member of the Kurdish Election Commission, explained in a statement that the first voters were Kurds living in China.

Kurds living in the north of Iraq are expected to head to the polls on September 25.

Speaking to thousands of people at the end of the election campaign, regional Kurdish President Masoud Barzani said Friday that it was "too late" to consider alternatives or negotiate with Baghdad on all matters relating to the referendum.

Iraqi Kurdistan has enjoyed regional autonomy since the early 1990s, a status bolstered in the 2005 constitution that defined Iraq as a federal state.

Many regional powers have warned Kurdish authorities not to go ahead with the ballot.

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