KRG rejects Biometric Voting System

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) refuses to follow the Iraqi Federal Government's use of the Biometric Voting System (BVS), stated a Kurdish official on Sunday.

BVS is one of the most professional and technological systems that help support fair, credible elections absent of fraud and illegal practices and ensures the protection of democratic principles. Moreover, it has a fast, accurate and reliable voter registration.

“We won’t use the biometric system in our presidential, parliamentary, provincial nor referendum elections,” Handren Mohammed Saleh, President of Kurdistan Independent High Electoral and Referendum Commission (IHERC) told K24 on Sunday.

Though Baghdad chooses this system for its elections, Saleh believes Kurdistan Region can use a better technological voting system.

BVS tends to be credible and expedient, but some experts note that the system can be faulty in scenarios involving insufficient electricity, which Kurdistan Region often experiences.

“The system needs substantial logistical support and requires electricity in all parts of Kurdistan Region and Iraq simultaneously,” Kurdish election expert Chato Hogir told K24.

“The system connects to the internet and blocks fraud and additional voting and requires electricity [without interruption] during election days,” he said.

Established in 2014 by Kurdistan Region Parliament (KRP), IHERC acts independently from partisan issues.

President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani recently asked IHERC to prepare for the independence referendum in the next few months.

Reporting by Mewan Dolamari

Editing by Benjamin Kweskin and Karzan Sulaivany

(Afsana Shamohammadi contributed to this report from Erbil)