ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has extended the deadline for registering political coalitions for the upcoming provincial elections, the electoral body’s spokesperson told Rudaw on Sunday.
IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai said the deadline was extended until August 6, after the initial one expired at midnight, in order to provide the parties with more time to register.
Created by the 2005 constitution after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, the provincial councils are powerful bodies that hold significant power in the country, including setting the budgets for several sectors such as education, health, and transport.
The provincial elections are to be held on December 18, after the councils were dissolved in response to anti-government protests four years ago. The elections will take place across Iraq, excluding the Kurdistan Region.
December’s elections will see a return to the Sainte-Laguë voting method, perceived as controversial, reverting back to the single-constituency per province system instead of the multiple-constituency system that was adopted for the 2021 parliamentary elections.
Protesters accused the councils of being plagued with corruption, leading to parliament dissolving the system amid widespread demonstrations that engulfed the country in 2019.
The provincial council elections were last held in 2013, when supporters of then-prime minister Nouri al-Maliki emerged victorious. The next elections were set to be held in 2018 but were postponed.
As of early July, 77 political parties and 41 alliances had registered with the electoral body to participate in the election. Iraq’s integrity commission has also requested the IHEC to handover their names in order for their wealth and properties to be investigated.
