IHEC: We have completed all preparations for holding the elections

The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, confirmed that all preparations for holding the elections have been completed on time.

"The commission has completed all preparations that will enable it to hold the upcoming parliamentary elections at the technical and legal levels," Khalaf said.

"The Independent High Electoral Commission is fully prepared to achieve the October 10, 2021 date," he added.

He also indicated that the commission is now focusing on making more efforts to communicate with the media with voters and to clarify the nature of the commission's procedures from a year ago until today.

Over 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in the upcoming ballot, however, those living abroad will be excluded from casting their ballots, according to Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said. 

According to the IHEC revealed that 3,244 candidates will be competing for the election.

Early elections in Iraq

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis took to the streets in Baghdad and the southern provinces to vent their anger and frustration at the government's inability to fight corruption and provide them with security and stability since late 2019. 

Demonstrators have been calling for an end to endemic corruption by a political class that is largely seen as having squandered Iraq's resources through greed and mismanagement. The protests were violently quelled resulting in the death of hundreds and injury of thousands and resulted in the resignation of former Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi. 

After his appointment as new Prime Minister, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi vowed to meet the demands of protesters by holding early elections on June 6, 2021, nearly a year ahead of schedule, when he took office last May. These were later postponed to October 10. 

The delay was due to "technical" requirements, Al-Kadhimi said in January in a proposal submitted to the Cabinet to ensure a transparent electoral process. 



PUKmedia