- Voter turnout among security and military personnel reached 82.52 %
BAGHDAD/ISTANBUL
A special voting for over a million military personnel and thousands of internally displaced citizens in Iraq closed Sunday evening ahead of the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections, the electoral commission said.
The Independent High Electoral Commission said the vote counting began after polling stations closed at 6 pm local time (1500GMT).
It said the results will be announced, without specifying a date.
The commission said voter turnout among security and military personnel reached 82.52 %.
“Turnout was large and unprecedented for a special voting,” the commission’s legal adviser, Hassan Salman, said in statements carried by the state news agency INA.
He said the commission’s teams did not record any violations during process.
“No interruptions or delays were reported during the vote,” he added.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani congratulated the security forces for exercising their constitutional right, describing their participation in the elections as “active and conscientious.”
More than 1.3 million military voters were eligible to participate in the special voting across 809 polling centers, which included 4,501 polling stations nationwide.
The vote aimed to enable members of the armed forces and security agencies, who will be responsible for securing polling centers on Nov. 11 to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
In addition to the security personnel, 26,538 internally displaced citizens were eligible to vote on Sunday across 97 polling stations within 27 polling centers, INA said.
Iraq’s Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shammari told the INA that the special voting process was “smooth and conducted in an organized manner” in fully secured electoral centers.
A total of 7,768 candidates, including 5,520 men and 2,248 women, are competing for 329 seats in the Council of Representatives, which elects the president and grants confidence to the government. Roughly 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, according to the commission.
The current parliament, which has 320 lawmakers, with Shia parties and blocs holding the majority, began its term on Jan. 9, 2022, and will last four years, ending on Jan. 8, 2026.
Under Iraqi law, legislative elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the parliament’s term.
Iraq’s three branches of government are traditionally divided by sect: the presidency goes to Kurds, the Prime Ministry to Shias, and the parliamentary speaker to Sunnis, ensuring all segments of society are represented in government.