Jumana al-Ghalai, the spokesperson for Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) told Rudaw that allegations of fraud and vote tampering are "completely unacceptable,” and that such accusations are routine for the commission.
No instances of misconduct or violations occurred during the ballot counting process for the Kurdistan Region’s parliamentary election results, Ghalai said, adding that the commission faces accusations of “electoral fraud in every electoral process.”
The commission asserted that the parliamentary elections were conducted with "complete integrity and transparency," emphasizing the praise received from international and Arab states.
Election observers monitored 124 complaints from political parties for “campaigning propaganda in various ways,” said Hogr Chato, head of the Shams network for monitoring elections, during a Monday press conference.
Violations such as the disclosure of voter choices, coercion, vote forging, and attempts by polling center staff to influence votes could incur punishment, including imprisonment under IHEC rules.
Taking phones into voting booths violates the electoral commission’s regulations, but several monitors said some stations did not enforce this rule.
The Kurdistan Region held parliamentary elections on Sunday. The polls had a 72 percent voter turnout, and over two million people across the Region cast their vote, according to preliminary IHEC results.
A total of 1,191 candidates contested the 100-seat legislature, downsized from 111 seats following a major Iraqi federal court ruling in February.
Ziad Ismail contributed to this report.
