Iraqi Elections: The participation rate reached 20%, Official says

A member of the National Election Observation Networks Alliance, the international expert in electoral affairs, Muhammad Khalil Al-Husseini, said on Sunday that the participation rate in the elections had reached 20%.

Al-Husseini said, “The observers of the Alliance, according to 1,580 polling stations distributed throughout Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, recorded participation rates estimated at 20%.”

Concerning the obstacles that accompanied the voting process, he said, “there was a limited number in some centers that were not qualified to receive the disabled and the elderly. We also recorded some individual problems besides the fall of a mortar shell near an electoral center in Baiji.”

Earlier, The Prime Minister’s Adviser for Elections Affairs suggested that the turnout in the general polling will be “high” in the coming hours.

Advisor Muhannad Naim said, “The electoral process is going well,” noting that “some stations have stopped, but not the electoral center, and there are maintenance and replacement equipment.”

“The participation rate in the elections will be high, and there will be plenty of time for voters to participate,” Naim said.

Al-Kadhimi’s advisor expected that the participation rate would reach 50% or more.

In turn, The Iraqi High Electoral Commission said that the participation rate in the general polling is “good,” expecting that it will be more significant later.

Electoral stations also recorded malfunctions in the electronic devices for the elections, which prompted voters to withdraw from the polling stations.