ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Erbil security forces (Asayish), warned residents on Sunday to refrain from celebratory shooting as voting for the region’s parliamentary elections draws close to an end.
"Gunfire is completely prohibited, and legal procedures will be taken against violators, and they will be arrested," read the statement.
It also called on everyone to "preserve" the stability of the city.
After the polls close, the supporters of political parties often take to the streets to celebrate the "victory" of their parties ahead of official results. The celebrations sometimes include gunfire.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) plans to announce the official results within 24 hours.
“After the polls close, the results will be sent to the servers of the [IHEC’s] national office in Baghdad. And the results need to be announced within 24 hours, and we hope we can announce them earlier,” Omar Ahmed, head of the IHEC, told journalists in Erbil.
A total of 1,191 candidates are contesting the 100-seat legislature, downsized from 111 seats following a major Iraqi federal court ruling in February.
About 2.9 million residents across the Kurdistan Region are registered to vote, and over 1,200 polling stations are open.
The polls opened at 7:00 am and will close at 6:00 pm.
"Gunfire is completely prohibited, and legal procedures will be taken against violators, and they will be arrested," read the statement.
It also called on everyone to "preserve" the stability of the city.
After the polls close, the supporters of political parties often take to the streets to celebrate the "victory" of their parties ahead of official results. The celebrations sometimes include gunfire.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) plans to announce the official results within 24 hours.
“After the polls close, the results will be sent to the servers of the [IHEC’s] national office in Baghdad. And the results need to be announced within 24 hours, and we hope we can announce them earlier,” Omar Ahmed, head of the IHEC, told journalists in Erbil.
A total of 1,191 candidates are contesting the 100-seat legislature, downsized from 111 seats following a major Iraqi federal court ruling in February.
About 2.9 million residents across the Kurdistan Region are registered to vote, and over 1,200 polling stations are open.
The polls opened at 7:00 am and will close at 6:00 pm.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment