Iraqi electoral commission office in Duhok prepares for national vote in October
People can collect their voter identification cards at designated centers before heading to ballot casting stations in October, the head of the office said.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Duhok office of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on Sunday the completion of technical preparations for holding elections on October 10.
“The office has conducted operational tests on voting devices, and there will be a technical examination of the devices before the elections,” said Khalid Abbas, the director of the Duhok office, during a press conference.
Abbas noted that "there are 292 centers for private and public voting, in addition to 31 voting centers for displaced people."
There are 778,000 civilian voters in Duhok and 51,000 public servants working in interior and health ministries and prisoners who have "special voter" status, the official added. There are also 70,000 displaced persons voting.
"The process of distributing voter’s cards continues," Abbas explained, calling on citizens to collect their documentation at designated centers.
Last year, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced that parliamentary elections would take place early on June 6, 2021, promising to facilitate international monitoring of the process.
The Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq recently informed various officials in leadership positions in the government and various political blocs of their inability to effectively hold the vote in June and proposed October as a more realistic date.