Iraqis head to polls for early parliamentary elections

Iraqi people are heading to the polls in parliamentary elections, which are held earlier than their original 2022 schedule in response to the public demands for economic reforms.

Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. local time (04:00 GMT) on Sunday, and will close at 6:00 p.m local time.

More than 25 million citizens are eligible to vote. Voters are supposed to present a biometric card for what is conceived as a fully electronic voting process. However, some have not received the cards and authorities say provisions have been made to ensure they are not excluded.

A total of 329 seats are up for grabs in the election. More than 3,240 candidates are in the running, including 950 women.

One-quarter of the seats are reserved for female candidates, and nine for minorities including Christians and Izadis.

The elections were originally planned to be held in 2020, but the date was brought forward in response to a mass protest movement that broke out in 2019 to call for economic reforms, better public services, and an effective fight against unemployment and corruption in state institution.

The vote is also taking place under a new election law that divides Iraq into smaller constituencies, another demand of the protesters, and allows for more independent candidates.

Around 600 international observers, including 150 from the United Nations, are monitoring the voting process.

Security forces, prisoners and those displaced by Daesh’s terror campaign voted in special early polls Friday, head of the countrywide general election said.

The voting is underway under tight security, with all airports closed from Saturday evening to dawn on Monday across Iraq.

ME