MOSUL, Iraq - As Iraq prepares for its parliamentary elections on November 11, hundreds of billboards and scaffolds are being erected across Mosul - the capital of the northern Nineveh province - by candidates on sidewalks and in public spaces, drawing sharp criticism from locals over the defacement of urban landscape.
Oday Sinjari, a shopkeeper from Mosul, told Rudaw the displays may pose safety risks, slamming them as “uncivilized.”
"When they block the road, or God forbid, a metal piece falls on a car or a person, it could be harmful,” he said.
Mohammed Ghasoob, another Mosul resident, echoed Sinjari’s concerns.
“They don’t consider that these areas might be prone to fires, or that it could be a historical site where such encroachment is prohibited - or even private land owned by individuals,” he said.
Amid growing public frustration, officials from the Mosul branch of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) say they have formed a committee to enforce electoral regulations.
Djwar Zaki Hassan, the technical assistant for the Nineveh elections office, told Rudaw that they have “removed them [billboards] from certain places” where signage is not permitted and “have fined the violator." The fines, he added, have been approved by the IHEC.
The stakes are high in the northern Nineveh province, where more than 1,000 candidates from 36 political blocs are competing for 34 of the 329 seats in Iraq’s parliament.
This year’s ballot notably comes at a time of growing public concern over persistent governance issues, including rising inflation, inadequate public services and entrenched political corruption.
Voter turnout in Iraq’s last legislative elections in 2021 stood at just over 41.1 percent - the lowest in the country’s modern history. The sharp decline in participation was largely attributed to widespread disillusionment and a deep loss of trust in the political system, driven by the belief that elections fail to bring real change.
With over 21 million registered voters nationwide, it remains to be seen whether turnout for this year’s elections will mark a turning point.
Rekar Aziz contributed to this report.
