Politics

Early voting for Iraqi provincial elections begin

More than a million voters can cast their votes on Saturday, according to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Kurdistan 24 2023/12/16 08:45

A voter (right) is seen waiting for electoral officials to verify his identity in order to cast his ballot at the Iraqi provincial elections in Erbil, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo: Hoshmand Sadiq/Kurdistan24)

Iraq Provincial election

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Those who are eligible to cast their votes in the early voting period on early Saturday began going to the polling stations across the country, including the Kurdistan Region.

More than a million voters are eligible to cast their votes on Saturday, according to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

The process began at 7:00 AM (Erbil Time) and is expected to continue until 6:00 PM. An extension of the closing time of balloting is possible.

More than 48,000 Iraqi internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are currently sheltered in the Kurdistan Region can vote at nine voting centers in Iraq’s Kurdish region.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq known as (UNAMI) does not observe or monitor the Dec. 18 elections, the organization has previously announced.

The IHEC has previously announced that 500 local and international organizations are set to monitor the process.

Several voters who cast their ballots complained that the process is “slow” and experienced hardship in fingerprint recognition.

“My fingerprint was hardly recognized,” Hama Regir, a Peshmerga commander at Kirkuk Command, told Kurdistan24 after he cast his ballot at Shamamik polling station in Erbil Plains.

Members of the Kurdish security forces that are from disputed territories – Kirkuk, Diyala, Nineveh, Saladin – can cast their votes in the Region to elect representatives for the respective provincial councils.

The entire process, including verification of voters’ eligibility to cast a ballot, might take about 2-3 minutes, as it involves several electronic devices, Chato Hassan, the head of a polling station in Erbil, told Kurdistan 24 on early Saturday.

Kurdistan24 reporter in Diyala Harem Jaff reported that security forces “strictly prohibit” journalists from covering processes close to the polling stations.

Iraqi parliament dissolved provincial councils under the Iraqi federal government authority in 2019 following the eruption of October protests over corruption and unemployment.

Kirkuk has not witnessed a provincial election since 2005 due to repeated delays sparked by political wrangling.

Kurdish members of the security forces from disputed territories cast waiting to cast their ballots at a polling station in Erbil, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo: Azar Farooq/Kurdistan24) — Kurdish members of the security forces from disputed territories waiting to cast their ballots at a polling station in Erbil, Dec. 16, 2023. (Photo: Azar Farooq/Kurdistan24)