Iraq’s electoral commission voids votes from 1,021 polling stations

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a statement on Wednesday, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced it had canceled votes from 1,021 polling stations from nine Iraqi provinces, including expats votes, and early voting.

According to the IHEC’s numbers, 80 stations in Erbil, 96 in Sulaimani, and 224 in Duhok were voided in the Kurdistan Region.

For the rest of Iraq, votes at 195 stations in Nineveh were annulled, 186 in Kirkuk, 101 in Anbar, 47 in Salahuddin, 23 in Baghdad, and two in Diyala.

Ballot boxes of expat voters were also affected. Votes from 67 polling stations that belonged to the United States, Sweden, Britain, Turkey, Germany, and Jordan were canceled.

In an earlier statement, the IHEC had noted it was in the process of investigating all the complaints that were submitted, which it said numbered about 2,000.

In the May 12 Iraqi parliamentary elections, a new electronic device was used to verify voter cards, fingerprints, and to count ballots—a system meant to streamline the electoral process and prevent fraud from taking place.

This new system, however, received criticism and was described as easier to corrupt. Indeed, the device was rejected for use in the Kurdistan Region’s upcoming parliamentary elections on Sep. 30.

Immediately following the election, several parties alleged fraud and complained that the electronic ballot devices were tampered with and unreliable.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany