Special Voting Concludes in Iraq Ahead of Parliamentary Elections

Special Voting Concludes in Iraq Ahead of Parliamentary Elections
—————————————
Special voting for Iraq’s security personnel and internally displaced citizens concluded on Sunday evening ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections scheduled for November 11, Anadolu Agency reported.

The special vote allowed more than 1.3 million military and security personnel, along with 26,538 internally displaced persons (IDPs), to cast ballots. Voting took place across 809 polling centers with 4,501 polling stations for security forces, while IDPs voted at 97 polling stations within 27 centers.

IHEC announced that vote counting began immediately after polling stations closed at 6:00 pm local time (1500 GMT), though a date for official results has not been set. Voter turnout among security and military personnel reached 82.52 percent, described by the commission as “large and unprecedented for a special voting,” with no violations reported during the process.

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani praised the participation of security forces, calling it “active and conscientious.” Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shammari added that the special voting proceeded smoothly in fully secured centers.

Ahead of the elections, 7,768 candidates—including 5,520 men and 2,248 women—are competing for 329 seats in the Council of Representatives, which selects the president and approves the government. Approximately 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote.

The current parliament, dominated by Shia parties, began its term on January 9, 2022, and will expire on January 8, 2026. Iraqi law requires elections to be held at least 45 days before the end of a parliamentary term. Under the country’s sectarian power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for Kurds, the prime ministership for Shias, and the parliamentary speaker role for Sunnis.