Duhok Municipality imposes strict rules on election campaigns ahead of Kurdistan parliamentary elections
Shafaq News/On Monday, the Duhok Municipality announced a series of strict guidelines fororganizing election campaigns in preparation for the upcoming KurdistanRegional Parliament elections, scheduled for October 20.
IsmailMustafa, the media officer for the municipality, told Shafaq News Agency that"the issued guidelines aim to preserve the city's appearance and preventany practices that could disrupt daily life or mar public views."
Mustafahighlighted the key regulations: "Candidates and political parties areprohibited from defacing the city or placing posters in areas that couldobstruct visibility."
Mustafaemphasized that "election campaigns must not disrupt traffic in any way,and the use of traffic signals and road lighting for promotional purposes isstrictly forbidden."
He addedthat the guidelines also prohibit election events in school buildings, publicspaces, places of worship, and government institutions affiliated with theKurdistan Regional Government.
Regardingthe Duhok city market, Mustafa confirmed that "placing election posterswithin the market is banned to maintain order and cleanliness," notingthat "all waste from election posters must be removed immediately afterthe campaign ends."
He pointedout that "the municipality, in coordination with the Independent HighElectoral Commission, will impose financial penalties on those who violatethese guidelines."
The electioncampaign for the Kurdistan Regional Parliament is set to begin inmid-September.
KurdistanRegion President Nechirvan Barzani issued a regional decree on June 26, settingOctober 20, 2024, as the date for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections.
Electionsfor Iraq's Kurdistan parliament, originally scheduled for 2022, were mostrecently set for June 10.
The Octobervote is expected to elect 100 new lawmakers representing the governorates ofIraqi Kurdistan: Erbil (34 seats, including one for Christians and one forTurkmen), Halabja (three seats), Al-Sulaymaniyah (38 seats, including one forChristians and one for Turkmen), and Duhok (25 seats, including one forChristians).
