The demonstrations started in Sulaimaniyah, the main city in southern Kurdistan and a traditional bastion of opposition to the KDP, to demand payment of overdue salaries for civil servants.
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Deadlock over Massoud Barzani’s presidency, which expired on August 20, has not only polarised Kurdish politics but also compounded the economic crisis, which began in early 2014 when Baghdad slashed funds to the region.
Witnesses said that security forces then opened fire when the protesters intensified their stone-throwing at the buildings that house the KDP’s headquarters.
They evolved into protests calling on Barzani, whose mandate expired in August, to step down.
Live footage from Said Sadiq broadcast on Kurdish channel NRT showed riot police holding back protesters, a few of whom wielded slingshots.
In the city of Sulaimaniyah, capital of the province, protesters set upon the office of the media network Rudaw, which is seen as close to the KDP.
In the town of Kalar, two people died of gunshot wounds, according to a doctor at the local hospital and a Kurdish security source.
Minar Mohammed, the head of the local hospital, said 25 people were lightly injured in scuffles during the Sulaimaniyah protest.
No such protests have yet taken place in northern and western regions traditionally more loyal to the KDP.
Barzani on Saturday morning appealed for calm across the region.
The crisis is reinforcing old divisions in the region, which used to have two separate administrations, one run by the KDP in Erbil and Duhok, and the other controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Sulaimaniyah.
Kurdistan is housing hundreds of Americans working in the region.
Barzani has been accused by critics of amassing huge wealth for his family instead of serving the population.
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Barzani wants to stay on, arguing that his leadership is required to steer the region as its peshmerga forces play a significant role in battling the Islamic State group.
