Shams Network reports 124 electoral complaints
The monitoring organization identified eight major categories of violations.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Hoger Cheto, President of the Shams Network for Monitoring Election in Iraq, announced during a press conference on Monday, that his organization documented 124 complaints from political parties during the Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
The monitoring organization identified eight major categories of violations:
1. CAMPAIGN VIOLATIONS
Widespread electoral propaganda was observed at polling stations during the mandatory campaign silence period, violating international electoral standards.
2. DELAYED OPENINGS
Monitors noted significant delays in opening several polling stations. A detailed report with data and statistics will be released to media outlets.
3. OBSERVER EXCLUSION
Multiple instances of political party representatives and election monitors being removed from polling stations were documented throughout the voting process.
4. PRIVACY BREACHES
Despite prohibitions, mobile phones were frequently used inside voting booths to photograph ballots, compromising voting secrecy.
5. VIOLENT INCIDENTS
Several cases of violence were recorded involving electoral commission staff, security forces, voters, and political party representatives.
6. BIOMETRIC ISSUES
Widespread problems with fingerprint verification systems led to some voters being unable to cast their ballots, despite the allowance for up to 23 voters per station to bypass fingerprint verification.
7. FORMAL COMPLAINTS
The network documented 124 formal complaints from political parties regarding various aspects of the electoral process.
8. COUNT DISCREPANCIES
Monitors observed 34 instances of discrepancies between electronic and manual vote counting procedures.
"While some polling stations efficiently implemented regulations, thanks to the competence of commission staff, various irregularities were observed throughout the process," Cheto stated during the press conference.