ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Some 19 million voters in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have received their biometric voting cards ahead of the country’s upcoming legislative elections in November, a spokesperson for Iraq’s electoral body told Rudaw on Sunday. Imad Jamil, head of media for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), said that more than 19 million voters have received their biometric voter cards so far, which are required to cast ballots. According to Iraq’s 2024 General Population and Housing Census, the country's total population - including the Kurdistan Region - stands at 46.1 million. Jamil noted that “some 21.7 million voters are eligible to vote using their biometric cards.” In addition to the 19 million who have already received their cards, “there is a plan to distribute the remaining three million through mobile teams, media campaigns, and registration centers,” Jamil explained. “We expect to complete this distribution during September and October.” According to the IHEC official, a recent “election simulation exercise was successful.” Another simulation - focused specifically on data transmission - will follow “to ensure that results from 41,000 polling stations are transferred to the main servers within 24 hours." Regarding the integrity of the process, Jamil affirmed the voting system’s security noting, “The voting device software prevented all the attempted breaches we tested, including proxy voting or multiple voting attempts as the biometric voting card becomes invalid after a single use.” Iraq is set to hold legislative elections on November 11, with more than 7,900 candidates competing for 329 seats in the country’s parliament. In mid-August, the IHEC reported the disqualification of 627 candidates, citing a range of violations, including “criminal records, incomplete documentation, and accountability” issues. Of those barred, 290 were barred for alleged links to the outlawed Baath Party, in accordance with the Accountability and Justice Act. Enacted in 2008, the Act is designed to eliminate the Baath Party’s lingering influence across Iraq’s political, administrative, and cultural spheres. An additional 163 were removed at the request of their own political lists, the IHEC said. Voter turnout in Iraq’s 2021 legislative elections stood at around 41.1 percent - the lowest participation in the country’s modern history. Turnout in the Kurdistan Region was slightly higher at 45.6 percent. The low turnout was then attributed to widespread public disillusionment and a deep loss of trust in the political system, driven by persistent corruption and the belief that elections fail to bring real change. Addressing the status of candidates from the Kurdistan Region’s People’s Front (Baray Gal), the IHEC official stated that “they face no issues and they, like other candidates, will proceed with their nomination process and will run in the upcoming vote normally." Baray Gal is led by Lahur Talabany, an opposition figure who was arrested last week after a violent standoff between his armed loyalists and local security forces. According to local security sources, the clashes resulted in the deaths of three security officers and injuries to 19 others. One of Talabany’s supporters was also reportedly killed. Initially charged under Article 56 of the Iraqi Penal Code for criminal conspiracy, he now reportedly faces additional charges, including premeditated murder.
