IHEC Spox Says Special Voting Conducted Smoothly Nationwide

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on Monday that the turnout for the special voting of the Iraqi parliamentary elections has reached 82 percent, describing the process as smooth and successful.

Jumana Ghalai, the spokesperson for IHEC, told Kurdistan24 that the IHEC has taken extensive measures to ensure the integrity and security of the vote across the country.

“The number of eligible voters is more than 20 million. The IHEC will ensure the security of all polling stations. We have installed surveillance cameras in every polling station, and all election equipment is ready,” Ghalai said.

She stressed that voting hours will remain fixed. “Voting will end at 6:00 PM and will not be extended for even a minute,” she stated.

According to Ghalai, more than 1,000 international observers and numerous local monitoring organizations are overseeing the voting process. Additionally, representatives from political parties are present at polling stations.

“We can confirm that we have polling stations in all cities throughout Iraq,” she added.

Ghalai also reminded voters to respect election-day rules. Those who violate the regulations will face financial penalties.

The IHEC is expected to announce preliminary results of both the general and special voting within 24 hours after the conclusion of the general vote.

General voting for the parliamentary elections will take place on Tuesday.

This year’s elections will feature 38 political parties, 31 coalitions, and 75 individual lists, with a total of 7,768 candidates—5,520 men and 2,248 women—competing for seats in Iraq’s Council of Representatives.

The upcoming vote will be held under a new electoral system introduced after the 2018 elections and nationwide protests from 2019 to 2021, shifting from proportional representation to a single non-transferable vote system in 83 multi-member constituencies.