ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A humorous Facebook post by a candidate in Iraq's legislative election telling FC Barcelona supporters not to vote for her has drawn a lot of attention.
"I do not want Barcelona supporters to vote for me," Marwa Hamid al-Issawi, a Real Madrid fan, told Rudaw on Saturday after she made the Facebook post.
Issawi said she wrote the post after a Barcelona fan asked her to become a supporter of the Spanish Catalan club.
"Yesterday [Wednesday], a young Barcelona supporter visited me in my office. He was like 'We will vote for you if you stop cheering for Real Madrid and start supporting Barcelona.' I replied 'I do not need votes from any Barcelona fan. I even posted this on my Facebook,” she said.
Issawi joked that she can get enough votes from Los Blancos supporters to take her into parliament.
"On my first day in the parliament, I will wear a Real Madrid jersey," she said.
Running to represent Salahaddin province, Issawi said she will financially help arrange marriages for 30 Real Madrid supporters if she wins.
Football is not only dividing the electorate, it has also created divisions in her own family.
"My husband is a Barcelona fan, but my sons and I cheer for Real Madrid," Issawi said.
Campaigning for Iraq’s November elections began on October 3 and will continue until November 8. Security forces and special voters will cast their ballots on November 9, followed by the general election on November 11.