General election campaign begins in Iraq: 31 alliances, 38 parties, and 23 independent candidates are competing

Iraq is heading toward its 6th general elections since the fall of the Saddam regime in 2003. In a statement issued today by the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission, it was announced that the campaign period for the elections to be held on November 11 has officially begun.

The statement emphasized that candidates and political entities must act within the framework of fair competition and avoid political smear campaigns and the use of public resources for propaganda, noting that legal action will be taken against those who act in violation of the rules.

According to the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission, 7,768 candidates, including 2,248 women, will compete for the 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament. In total, 31 alliances, 38 parties, 23 independent candidates, and 56 quota candidates will participate in the elections. Across the country, 8,788 polling stations will be set up in 40,819 election centers.

20 PERCENT OF THE COUNTRY'S VOTERS ARE IN THE CAPITAL

While 20 percent of the country's 21 million 404 thousand 291 voters are located in the capital, Baghdad, the lowest number of voters is in Muthanna with 510 thousand. The number of security forces and voters with special status who will cast their votes on November 8 was announced as 1 million 313 thousand 980 people. A total of 26 thousand 538 displaced persons will be able to vote in Iraq.

THE LAST GENERAL ELECTION WAS HELD IN 2021

The last parliamentary elections in Iraq were held in 2021. In those elections, the Sairoon Movement, led by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, finished in first place with 73 seats, while the Sunni Taqaddum Party won 37 seats, Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition won 33 seats, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 31 seats, and the Fatah Alliance won 17 seats.

News Source: İHA