Erbil electoral office reports smooth special voting process with minimal complaints
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Friday, Mohammed stated, "We opened the polling stations at 7:00 AM, and voting has been proceeding smoothly. The process has been successful, and at the end, we will be dealing primarily with the voting machines' data."
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Marwan Mohammed, the head of the Erbil office of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), has reported a successful start to the special voting process for the Kurdistan Region's sixth parliamentary elections, with minimal issues recorded so far.
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Friday, Mohammed stated, "We opened the polling stations at 7:00 AM, and voting has been proceeding smoothly. The process has been successful, and at the end, we will be dealing primarily with the voting machines' data."
Mohammed emphasized that any technical issues encountered were promptly resolved. "So far, there have been no significant problems worth mentioning. We have only received two complaints up to this point," he reported.
Regarding turnout, Mohammed shared encouraging news: "According to our current reports, which are based on the schedule we've set for morning, noon, and evening closing times, the participation rate stands at 70%."
The electoral official also clarified the voting timeline, stating, "There will be no extension of voting hours. The machines automatically shut down at 6:00 PM, ending the voting process. Immediately after, we begin the counting and sorting of votes."
Mohammed detailed the post-voting procedures: "The machine automatically starts counting and sorting the votes, then produces a report. A copy is given to political party representatives, and another is posted at the station. Subsequently, we begin manual counting and sorting of votes."
Addressing potential discrepancies, Mohammed explained, "If there's a difference in the paper ballots during sorting that exceeds 5%, we mark it with a red tag and send it to the audit center. There, we review both the machine and paper ballots to identify the source of the discrepancy."
This report from the Erbil electoral office paints a picture of a well-organized voting process with robust checks and balances in place. The high reported turnout and low number of complaints suggest a smooth implementation of the special voting phase in Erbil.
The special voting process, which began at 7:00 AM, is set to conclude at 6:00 PM. It's specifically for security forces and other eligible special voters, with the general election scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 20.