Iraqi candidate dies on first day of electoral campaign

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An Iraqi candidate died on Saturday, on his first day on the campaign trail for the upcoming parliamentary election in May.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) previously announced that candidates and parties participating in the electoral process could launch their campaigns on Saturday, presenting themselves and their platforms to voters.

On the electoral campaign launch day, a candidate for the Hikma (Wisdom) party, led by Ammar al-Hakim, died, however. 

According to the party’s statement, Hadi Aqabi, a Hikma candidate in Wasit province for the upcoming elections, died in a car accident as he was heading to Baghdad to participate in the party’s electoral campaign ceremony.

The Iraqi parliamentary election, which also includes the Kurdistan Region, is scheduled to be held on May 12. A total of 6,904 candidates representing different parties are competing to fill 329 seats in Parliament.

The highest number of candidates is in Baghdad Province, with 1,985 listed candidates, and the lowest is in Muthanna Province, with 102.

It is the first election following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS), and millions of people remain displaced.

Editing by Nadia Riva