Amid Vote-Buying Arrests, Iraqi Election Sees Humorous Ballot for Football Club
Iraqi authorities detained three security personnel for alleged vote-buying in Anbar, while a voter's humorous ballot for Real Madrid provided unexpected election day commentary.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on Sunday that it had detained three members of the security forces in the district of Habbaniya, in Anbar province, for allegedly attempting to buy votes during the special parliamentary election.
According to Kurdistan24 correspondent Shvan Jabari, the officers were caught near Huda School polling center, where they allegedly offered 50,000 Iraqi dinars to several voters in exchange for casting their ballots for a specific candidate.
“The three officers were apprehended while trying to influence voters with cash offers,” Jabari reported, citing IHEC officials at the site.
Amid the day’s reports of procedural discipline and isolated violations, a lighter story emerged from one of the polling centers.
One voter, according to eyewitnesses, took a photograph of his ballot and showed it to his friends to “prove” that he had voted for the Spanish football club Real Madrid, not for any political candidate.
The incident, while unusual, drew laughter online and at the polling station — serving as a brief moment of humor on an otherwise serious election day.
The special voting phase for Iraq’s parliamentary elections began at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025, across all Iraqi provinces, including the Kurdistan Region, and continued until 6:00 p.m.
IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told Kurdistan24 that the process started on time and without any technical problems in the electronic voting machines.
“More than 1.3 million members of the security forces are eligible to participate in the special vote,” al-Ghalai said.
She added that the participating groups include members of the Interior and Defense Ministries, as well as the Peshmerga, Counter-Terrorism Service, Popular Mobilization Forces, and Border Guard Command.
According to IHEC data, 809 polling centers with 4,501 stations were allocated for military and security personnel, while 27 centers with 97 stations were set up for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps, where more than 26,000 eligible voters were expected to cast their ballots.
