UN envoy, Kurdistan Region president stress safeguarding provincial election process

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and the United Nations envoy to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Saturday stressed the importance of safeguarding the electoral process for provincial elections, according to a statement.

President Barzani received the envoy in Erbil, where they discussed wide-ranging topics, including Erbil-Baghdad relations, the latest developments in the region as well as the Iraqi provincial election.

Barzani and Hennis-Plasschaert agreed on the importance of holding the provincial elections as well as safeguarding the electoral process, particularly in the disputed territories, a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency read.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, known as (UNAMI), does not observe or monitor the Dec. 18 elections, the organization has previously announced.

Regarding Erbil-Baghdad relations, both sides “positively assessed” the role of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani and his efforts, the press release added.

They also discussed the latest developments in the region and its implications.

Iraq on early Saturday began its early voting for the Iraqi provincial council elections that are set to take place across the country on Dec. 18.

Over a million voters are eligible to vote in the early voting round on Saturday. As of Saturday noon, the turnout in the election has stood at 39 percent, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Voters in several polling stations complained about the “slow” process as a result of “technical issues” in the electronic devices. In Hassan Sham Camp 2, for example, no voter has been able to cast a ballot as of noon due to an ongoing “technical issue” that Kurdistan 24 has previously reported.

“My fingerprint was hardly recognized,” Hama Regir, a Peshmerga commander at Kirkuk Command, told Kurdistan24 after he cast his ballot at Shamamik polling station in Erbil Plains.

Members of the Kurdish security forces that are from disputed territories – Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, and Saladin – can cast their votes in the Region to elect representatives for the respective provincial councils.

Iraqi parliament dissolved provincial councils under the Iraqi federal government authority in 2019 following the eruption of October protests over corruption and unemployment.

Kirkuk has not witnessed a provincial election since 2005 due to repeated delays sparked by political wrangling.