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Early elections to the Council of Representatives (parliament) of Iraq are held on October 10 with increased security measures. The country’s authorities even banned air travel and closed checkpoints at land borders, transfers France24. The decision to hold early elections was made after a wave of protests.
More than 3.2 thousand candidates apply for 329 deputy mandates, 951 of whom are women, and 789 are self-nominated candidates. 109 parties and 21 political coalitions are vying for seats in the legislature, including seven Shiite, four Sunni and two Kurdish.
The need for early elections arose after the fall of 2019, Iraq was swept by a wave of anti-government protests. Participants in these actions spoke out against corruption and rising unemployment. To suppress the protests, the security forces used tear gas and live ammunition. In a few months, the suppression of protests killed 600 people and injured thousands. As a result, the cabinet of ministers, formed following the results of the previous elections in May 2018, was forced to resign.
Threatened in recent months, the nationwide vote, which was originally scheduled to take place on June 6, is taking place with unprecedented security measures. In particular, all border crossings and airports are closed on Sunday. To prevent provocations and terrorist attacks, at least 250,000 security officials will work in the elections. They turned some polling stations surrounded by barbed wire fences into some kind of roadblocks.
From October 7 to 13, any mass gatherings and processions are prohibited, and on October 10 all shops, shopping centers and restaurants will be closed, with the exception of pharmacies, grocery departments, some markets and bakeries. From October 9 until the morning of October 11, movement between the provinces is limited in the country, and Sunday and Monday are declared non-working days. However, for the first time since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship, elections are being held without a curfew.
In connection with the security measures taken, the security forces, refugees, internally displaced persons and prisoners voted early on Friday. A total of 1.2 million people took part in early voting. Citizens of the country living abroad will not be able to take part in the expression of will, informs TASS.
As the chairman of the Iraqi Central Election Commission, Jalil Adnan Khalaf, said earlier, more than a thousand people from 85 countries will follow the elections. In particular, according to the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative in Baghdad, Janine Hennis-Plashhert, 900 observers have been sent from the world organization.
For the first time in the elections, the authorities are using electronic voting technologies and biometric voter cards, which will be blocked for 72 hours upon casting a vote (in order to avoid re-voting). At the same time, observers report large-scale violations, including bribery and intimidation of voters.
About 26.9 million people have the right to vote in Iraq with a population of 40 million. In the 2018 elections, only 44% of voters voted, a record low turnout. The results of those elections were widely contested. Experts fear that this time the turnout will be the same or even lower.
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in 2003, Shiite parties have played a leading role in Iraq. The coalition of the Sadrist movement (represented by the Al-Sairun bloc in the current parliament), headed by Imam Muqtada al-Sadr, has a high chance of winning, and is opposed to foreign interference in the internal affairs of Iraq.
The second influential bloc is Al-Fatah, led by former Transport Minister Hadi al-Amiri, which is considered the political wing of the Shiite militias and maintains close ties with Iran. In the 2018 parliamentary elections, the alliance took second place, largely due to the defeat of the Islamic State terrorist group in Iraq.
The third major Shiite force is the Patriotic Forces of the State coalition formed in May by former Prime Minister Heydar al-Abadi and leader of the Al-Hikma movement Ammar al-Hakim.
Among the Sunni alliances, the Azm coalition, led by influential businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, who is under UN sanctions on suspicion of corruption and has good relations with Iran and Qatar, stands out. The Takaddum alliance formed by the current speaker of parliament, Mohammad al-Halbusi, also has serious chances for success, the leadership of which is known for close contacts with Saudi Arabia.
Kurdish political forces are traditionally represented by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan.
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