Politics

As early election polls close, Iraq’s electoral commission claims zero 'security breaches'

An IHEC official said that the advance polls on Friday marked the early signs of a "successful" election. Iraq's general election is set to take place on Sunday.

Mustafa Shilani 2021/10/08 20:52

Displaced Yazidis cast their votes for the parliamentary elections at a camp in the Sharya area, some 15 kilometres from the northern city of Dohuk in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region, on October 8, 2021. (Photo: Ismael ADNAN/AFP)

Iraq Iraqi Election 2021

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Friday said that it had not recorded any "security breaches" during Friday's early voting.

The statement came from the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Jalil Adnan, after polling stations for advance voting closed around the country. Adnan said that "no security breaches were recorded during the voting process," and noted that the day marked early signs of a "successful" election.

Iraqi security forces, the Kurdish Peshmerga, inmates, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) took to polling stations Friday morning to cast their ballots in a "special vote," two days ahead of the general election.

Speaking after polls closed, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said in a televised address that the elections are the way "to achieve desired political change" in the country.

"Our duty is to create the necessary atmosphere to ensure the integrity of the elections," he added, vowing, "we will not tolerate any breach of the electoral process."

Early election for about 1.2 million voters from security personnel, prison inmates, and displaced persons in camps across the country began at 07:00 local time and ended at 18:00.