Iraq
An Iraqi security officer dips his finger in ink after voting in the early round of the 2023 Iraqi provincial elections, in the central city of Najaf early on December 16, 2023. Photo: Qassem al-Kaabi/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s electoral commission on Saturday evening said that the turnout for early voting in provincial elections was “unprecedented in any electoral process,” with around 67 percent of eligible voters participating.
More than one million security forces and internally displaced persons (IDPs) were eligible to vote early, including around 48,260 IDPs living in camps in the Kurdistan Region. The general vote will take place on Monday.
Spokesperson for the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) Jumana al-Ghalai described the turnout as “unprecedented.”
According to early numbers, Diyala province recorded the highest turnout with 78 percent of eligible early voters casting a ballot. The lowest rate so far is 63 percent reported in Anbar.
The vote went off without any major concerns, according to the Interior Ministry, though there have been some reports of problems.
“The early vote was arranged in a highly smooth manner and without problems, and no cases of pressure or coercion were recorded on members of the security forces,” Khaled al-Muhanna, media and communications director at the Iraqi interior ministry, told state media.
He said that some complaints have been filed relating to voting machines not taking voters’ fingerprints. Similar issues were reported in Erbil, Sulaimani, and Kirkuk provinces, according to information obtained by Rudaw.
Security forces have referred a number “violators” to the judiciary, according to Qais al-Muhammadawi, head of IHEC’s security committee. He did not indicate what violations had been committed.
The electoral process in Iraq, especially early voting, has often been tainted with accusations of political powers forcing military personnel on their payroll to vote for candidates approved by the party, at times committing forgery and voting multiple times for multiple candidates.
Early Saturday morning, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, told security forces that they are free to vote as they choose. “No one has the right to dictate to you or interfere with determining your choices and preferences,” he said.
All polling stations have been equipped with security cameras to prevent any falsification.
The provincial councils were dissolved in 2019 in response to demands by Tishreen protesters who criticized the system for its failures and for enabling corruption. After several postponements, the election date was set for December 18. The last provincial council vote was held in 2013, excluding Kirkuk.
The provincial councils were created by the 2005 Iraqi constitution following the fall of dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime. They hold significant power, including setting budgets for several key sectors such as education, health, and transport, but are accused of being rife with corruption.
The elections will mark the return of the Sainte-Laguë voting method, a controversial system that uses the single-constituency per province system instead of the multiple-constituency system that was adopted for the 2021 parliamentary elections as part of the demands of the Tishreen protesters.
The parliamentary election in 2021 saw a record low turnout as many voters were disillusioned with the democratic process and had little trust in Iraq’s political system.
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