Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, the Erbil Election Office conducted aneducational seminar for candidates representing political entities, components,and independents in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary elections in theKurdistan Region (KRI).
At a press conference, the office Chief, Marwan Mohammed, stated,“The office organized this seminar in collaboration with the InternationalOrganization for Human Rights and Refugee Affairs (IOHR) to inform candidatesabout the highly transparent procedures of the Independent High ElectoralCommission (IHEC), including how to file complaints and the roles of politicalrepresentatives on election day.”
He added, “The details of the voting mechanism on election day,including procedures and equipment, were clearly explained and discussed indepth.”
“We hope the participants in this seminar will share thisinformation with their supporters and those they aim to persuade to vote forthem,” Muhammad continued, emphasizing that “the commission will enforcestringent new measures.”
“It is crucial to note that these elections feature distinctprocedures, especially the combination of manual counting and sorting withelectronic methods, as well as the installation of surveillance cameras inpolling centers and stations,” he explained.
The Erbil Election Office Chief clarified that “voting is limitedto individuals holding biometric cards. These issues have been explained toassure political entities, candidates, media, and civil society orinternational organizations that these are the procedures followed by the Commission.”
Back in June, President Nechirvan Barzani issued a Regional decreesetting October 20, 2024, as the official date for the Kurdistan parliamentaryelections.
In a televised speech, the president urged for a"civilized" election process, stressing “the need to combat hatredand respect women's status.”
The October vote is expected to elect 100 new lawmakersrepresenting the governorates of Iraqi Kurdistan: Erbil (34 seats, includingone for Christians and one for Turkmen), Halabja (three seats), Al-Sulaymaniyah(38 seats, including one for Christians and one for Turkmen), and Duhok (25seats, including one for Christians).