Iraqi commission head projects confidence amid claims of 'selling' votes for upcoming election

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The chair of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) pledged this week that parliamentary elections scheduled for next month will be free and fair, despite some indications of attempts at fraud and expectations of low participation.

The commission's head, Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, said in an interview published by the Associated Press on Wednesday that the body had already foiled a number of attempts to subvert the electoral process.

“What we hear, here and there, is that citizens are selling their voter cards,” he said, referring to a potential scheme in which candidates could essentially buy votes, although it is not clear whether such efforts could be sufficient to affect any of the results.

“The commission has set strict regulations and strict rules,” Khalaf argued.

The Iraqi legislative elections are scheduled to be held on Oct. 10, a year before the scheduled date, based on a promise made by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi when he took office in 2020 after his predecessor resigned along with his cabinet as a result of a national protest movement against institutional corruption, poor services, and a low standard of living that began in October 2019.

Elections will be held under a new electoral law that divides Iraq into 83 electoral districts, instead of the previous 18.

Khalaf said the IHEC had received more and more complaints as election day approaches, including those of armed voter intimidation and the sale of voter identification cards.

He explained that biometric ID cards have been issued to 17 million Iraqis as part of a plan to put an end to alleged "double voting" thought to have occurred in the previous election, but 5 million more will still have to use their old electronic voter cards.

The official said that there are more than 22 million registered voters, including 3,449 candidates vying for 329 seats in the national parliament in Baghdad.

He also indicated that the commission will fulfill a legal obligation to announce election results within 24 hours of closing the polls across the country.

The European Union recently decided to deploy an election monitoring mission to Iraq.

Read More: EU sends Iraq election monitoring mission for upcoming vote

“The mission will produce a public report with recommendations, based on an objective assessment of the campaign and the voting, with a view to help in further improving the electoral framework in Iraq,” the release added.

"These polls will be an important milestone in Iraq’s democratic build-up," it continued. "A peaceful and secure run-up of the electoral process is key to ensure that all candidates, political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and the electorate can fully exercise their democratic rights and freedoms."