“Mosques, religious places, and Quranic verses belong to all Muslims…” Abdullah Waisi, president of the Islamic assocation, told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih, adding they “should not be used for the benefits of an individual or a party.
He added that Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and the Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs are closely monitoring the campaign and legal action will be taken against those who misuse religious spaces and positions for political gain.
In a statement on Wednesday, the association encouraged participation in the elections and urged candidates to use respectful language.
“Mosques, the Quran, and religious sanctities are the property of all Muslims in Kurdistan,” the statement read. “Their sacredness should be kept and not made part of the electoral process.”
“A number of Islamic scholars are candidates on various lists,” Waisi said, emphasizing that it is forbidden for candidates to campaign in the mosque or while giving religious sermons, based on rules from IHEC and the religious affairs ministry.
“It is prohibited to use places of worship in electoral propaganda for a party, alliance, or candidate, but it is permitted to use them to encourage voters to participate in the elections and promote the electoral process,” reads the IHEC’s campaign regulations.
Waisi also warned that candidates should not make false promises: “People, candidates, and political parties must be very responsible when making promises.”
Official campaigning began on Wednesday and is ongoing until October 15. The election will be on October 20.
Nearly 2.9 million people are eligible to vote, including around 215,000 early voters. There will be 1,400 polling stations, including locations in disputed areas and most Iraqi provinces, for eligible voters.
The Kurdistan Region last held elections in 2018. The upcoming elections, initially scheduled for 2022, have been delayed several times.
