Iraq’s electoral commission announced on Monday that the “initial” turnout to the parliamentary elections stood at 41 percent based on 94 percent of the ballots received. 

The IHEC announced that over nine million Iraqis voted on Sunday, with the highest amount of turnout in Duhok province with 54 percent turnout.

Baghdad recorded the lowest turnout with 31 percent in Rasafa, and 34 percent in Karkh, followed by Sulaimani province with only 37 percent turnout.

According to the data published by the IHEC, average turnout of the three provinces of the Kurdistan region stood at 45.6 percent.

The commission added that there have been 16 complaints filed on special voting day, and 58 complaints on the general voting day.

Sulaimani province had the highest complaints filed with 10 on general voting day and one on special voting day, followed by Basra province with only 10 complaints on the general voting day. Continue Reading

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and New Generation both increased their seats in Erbil province at the expense of the other Kurdish parties, according to preliminary, unofficial results.

The KDP took 11 seats, New Generation three, and the Kurdistan Coalition won one out of the province’s 15 seats that were up for grabs.

In the 2018 election, KDP won eight seats, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) two, New Generation two, and the Coalition for Democracy and Justice (CDJ), Gorran, and Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) each took one. 

Both KDP and New Generation have predicted they will do well in the vote. 

Hemin Hawramy, KDP member and deputy speaker of the Kurdistan Region parliament, tweeted the party “is set to have a landslide win,” securing more seats than it did in previous elections.

Shaswar Abdulwahid, head of the opposition party New Generation, also claimed a “landslide,” tweeting “New Generation is heralding a new era in Iraqi and Kurdish politics.”  
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Turnout in Duhok province was 53 percent, an official from the provincial office of the election commission told media.
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Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement that he is “concerned by reports” of extrajudicial activity by armed groups preventing people from casting their votes at polling stations in disputed territories.

“This is unacceptable and a clear violation of the democratic right to vote in free and fair elections,” he said.

Barzani called Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and “emphasized the importance of investigating every and all violations and complaints” relating to the voting process, according to the statement. 

He also thanked voters for their turnout for Sunday’s parliamentary elections, calling their vote “a solemn call to defend the rights of the Kurdistani people within the Iraqi Constitution.”

Many voters reported issues with voting machines throughout the elections. 

One man told Rudaw that a machine at a Soran polling station was unable to read fingerprints - a biometric identification issue that he said ultimately led to a vote “going to waste.” A voter in Kirkuk said that despite presenting his voting card and biometrics, the machine “wasn’t recognizing any of it” and he was unable to vote.

Earlier today, an election commission official in Erbil said there were some technical issues at some polling stations, but they were mostly resolved.

The Iraqi government imposed strict security measures and enlisted a large international presence at this year’s election as part of its attempts to address multiple security concerns and allay fears of fraud, vote-buying and voter intimidation.
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Iraq’s election commission will release data on voter turnout within the next two hours, the head of the commission Jalil Adnan Khalaf said in a press conference after polls closed on Sunday evening.

"The road to the October elections was hard and we faced many complications and challenges,” said Khalaf, thanking Iraqis and foreign observers. 

He said they will release results quickly, “within the upcoming hours.”

The commission previously said they would publish results within 24 hours of polls closing.
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Polls closed at 6pm, ending voting in Iraq’s parliamentary election. “It’s over,” tweeted the election commission. 

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi thanked voters, candidates, poll workers and observers, tweeting “Praise be to God, we have completed our duty and promised to hold fair and safe elections and we have provided the capabilities to make them successful.”

Shiite cleric and head of the Sadrist bloc Muqtada al-Sadr tweeted the elections were a “great success from the security and professional aspect.”
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The Iraqi parliamentary election has seen a low voter turnout, the electoral commission announced in its midday report.

The turnout across Iraq for the public vote has reached 19 percent, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Voters and parties are questioning the legitimacy of the election in an environment where powerful militias operate outside of government control, activists and election candidates are threatened and the electoral commission and political elites are accused of fraud.

EU election observation mission chief Viola von Cramon said in a presser they have seen a low turnout but a "rather calm and peaceful electoral process.”

"The relative turnout says a lot, and this is a political signal to the politicians,” she said. “One hopes they would heed the message.”

Election turnout in Iraq has steadily declined since 2005, from 79 percent to just 45 percent in 2018, according to a poll by al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies.
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Scores of people have been arrested for interfering with Iraq's parliamentary elections, the Security Media Cell reports. 

Iraqi forces arrested 77 people “for committing violations related to the conduct of the electoral process” in several governorates across Iraq, according to a tweet from the cell.

Iraqis headed to the polls on Sunday morning in an environment where armed militias operate with impunity, Islamic State (ISIS) militiants carry out frequent attacks, and fears of electoral fraud coupled with disillusionment over the political system has kept many voters away.

The government, however, is attempting the large task of securing the vote. It has put strict security measures in place, enlisted a record-large international monitoring mission, and has promised a fair and free electoral process. Continue Reading

A politician from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) urged the Kurdish people of Kirkuk to head to the polling stations in the city, reporting a low turnout for the ethnic group. 

“Today is a historical day .. we have a few hours left and it will be written in history,” Khalid Shwani, the head of the higher committee of media for Kurdistan Coalition list, said in a presser, adding that “voting is a democratic weapon.”

The turnout for Kurdish-majority areas of Kirkuk is lower than their Arab and Turkmen counterparts, he claims.

“As long as we are Kirkukis, we have to fight,” he added while calling on the people to head to the ballot boxes.  

Kirkuk is an ethnically diverse province, home to Kurds, Arabs, and Turkmen.

The city is also the most hotly part of the disputed territories claimed by the governments in Erbil and Baghdad. The dispute also creates a large security vacuum where Islamic State (ISIS) remnants remain active and pose a serious threat.

The Kurdistan Coalition is an electoral alliance based in the Kurdistan Region. It was formed by both Change Movement (Gorran) and the PUK in early May to enter Iraq’s parliamentary elections. It is the only Kurdish alliance running in the elections. Continue Reading

An election commission official in Erbil denies claims that voting machines have gone fully out of service at some polling stations, saying technical issues have been mostly resolved.

“Our teams have resolved most of the issues and within an hour other machines will be fixed too,” Botan Sherko, the technical officer of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Erbil, told Rudaw's Sirwan Abbas. “The process is going smoothly and we don’t have major issues.”

Meanwhile, Karzan Mohammad, the head of the IHEC's legal office in the Kurdistan Region, echoed Sherko’s message that the process is going smoothly and peacefully. He claims that most of the voters experiencing problems with machines are villagers whose work in the fields has made their fingerprints difficult to read.

In the early hours of this morning, there were a number of issues at several polling stations in the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad, where the voters were not able to cast their votes. 

IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told Rudaw that in the case of any voting machine failures, the commission has brand new machines that could be replaced within a short space of time by a technical team of around 100 people. 

"Sometimes the machines fail because the person in charge does not know how to operate them properly," al-Ghalai told Rudaw's Maalem al-Ubeidi.

EU election observation mission chief Viola von Cramon said that preparations for today's voting appear to have gone well, and they will issue their a preliminary report on Tuesday. Continue Reading

Iraqi and Kurdish officials headed to the poll to cast their votes, urging those eligible to vote in Iraq's parlimentary elections. 

“I hope everyone will execute their legal and democratic rights and go to the polls across Iraq,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said. He was the first official to vote in Erbil.

Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also cast a ballot in Pirmam, urging people to follow his example.

“I voted to select a candidate that we believe can represent us in the Iraqi parliament,” he said. “Those who are eligible to vote, vote,” the PM said.

Deputy PM of the Region Qubad Talabani also voted in the parliamentary elections.

Top Iraqi officials also went to the ballots on Sunday morning.

Iraqi President Barham Salih described the election day as “historic,” saying elections are an “opportunity to restore the initiative for reform and development.”

Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki both urged the public to exercise their democratic right.

“We feel like we are in a country that respects the wish of people through election [ballot] boxes,” Maliki told reporters.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim was also among the voters.

The elections “might represent a major transition in the political reality of the country and the reform of the country's affairs,” Hakim said from Baghdad.

Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose movement is expected to win the highest number of seats in the legislative body, has also voted.  Continue Reading

Iraq's electoral commission has broken down the numbers for observers and polling stations in the country's 2021 parliamentary elections. 

There are 1,877 international and 160,148 local observers, Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told Rudaw. 

There are also 8,273 polling centers across Iraq, according to data from IHEC.

This year, the elections will be closely monitored. At least 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, but turnout is expected to be low amid fears of fraud and widespread disillusionment with the political system.

The United Nations said it would have a team of more than 800 people in Iraq to monitor and assist the national election commission. The European Union has also deployed its first election monitoring team in Iraq. 

Both groups came in response to Baghdad’s request for international presence at this year’s elections as part of its attempts to address multiple security concerns and allay fears of fraud, vote-buying and voter intimidation. Continue Reading

Good morning! Polls have opened for the general vote in Iraq's 2021 parliamentary election.

While the election is happening ahead of schedule in response to a protest movement that emerged due to frustration with corruption and inadequate public services, many expect a low turnout amid claims of fraud and widespread disillusionment with the political system.

The election is taking place under a new electoral law that has radically changed the voting system. It is strictly monitored by international groups, including the United Nations and the European Union.

Top politicians have already cast their votes early in the morning. 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani was the first official to cast his vote in Erbil.

“When the elections are over, I hope all the Kurdistani forces unite to advocate for the rights of Kurds in Baghdad,” Barzani said in a presser, noting that the Iraqi people “deserve a better life.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih, as well as Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani have also cast their votes.

Polls opened at 7 am and are expected to close at 6 pm. Protracted negotiations over choosing a new cabinet and president usually follow the elections.

This year, the elections will be closely monitored.

The UN said it would have a team of more than 800 people in Iraq to monitor and assist the national election commission. The European Union has also deployed its first election monitoring team in Iraq. Both groups came in response to Baghdad’s request for international presence at this year’s elections as part of its attempts to address multiple security concerns and allay fears of fraud, vote-buying and voter intimidation.

There are over 3,200 candidates competing for 329 seats in the parliament. Nine seats are reserved for minorities and there are 67 candidates vying for these spots. At least 25 million Iraqis are eligible to vote.

Iraq’s security forces on Friday went to the polling stations to vote during the special voting period ahead of the general election day. 

The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Jalil Adnan on Saturday said that the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) is fully prepared for Sunday’s election.  Continue Reading