ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately 850 candidates running for Iraq’s upcoming legislative elections have been excluded from the race due to various reasons, the electoral commission announced on Sunday.
Imad Jamil, media officer for the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told Rudaw that the number of candidates excluded from the parliamentary race has reached 837. Of these, 183 were withdrawn by their parties or coalitions, while the rest were disqualified by the IHEC for various reasons, including legal and eligibility issues.
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.
According to IHEC, 31 alliances, 38 parties, 23 independent candidates, and 56 minority quota candidates are running in the elections. A total of 7,768 candidates - including 5,520 men and 2,248 women - will compete for 329 parliamentary seats, nine of which are reserved for minorities.
More than 39,000 polling stations will open across 8,703 centers for general voting, with 4,501 stations designated for special voting. Displaced people will cast ballots in 97 stations located in and around camps in the Kurdistan Region.
Jamil told Rudaw last week that they had recorded 350 election campaign violations, warning that repeat offenders could face doubled fines or even disqualification.
Mushtaq Ramadhan contributed to this article.