ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Political parties have submitted 118 complaints against alleged violations in Monday's local elections in Iraq, an official from the federal electoral body said on Wednesday. Nibras Abu Soda, a member of the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission's (IHEC) media unit, told Rudaw that they had received 118 complaints from the political parties that took part in Monday’s provincial elections without revealing the details. “According to reports we have received from provinces, no red complaints have been recorded,” said Abu Soda, referring to the most serious complaint against alleged violations in the polls. The official added that the commission’s experts will work on the complaints to determine if they are green, yellow or red. The overall voter turnout reached 41 percent, higher than the parliamentary elections in 2021 despite the boycott by influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The 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 delays, the election date was set for December 18. Iraq's long-anticipated provincial elections took place in 15 provinces, excluding the Kurdistan Region. The last provincial council elections took place in 2013, without Kirkuk. The IHEC on Tuesday evening announced the preliminary results of the votes, which are subject to change in the upcoming weeks, but official figures for the number of seats are yet to be released.
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