Special Voting Deadline Will Not Be Extended

PUKMEDIA

Special voter who voted.

Turnout in the special vote exceeded 70 percent by noon and the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission (IHEC) has ordered the suspension of the voting system in all four constituencies at 6:00 pm. IHEC Spokesperson announced that the deadline schedule will not be extended.

The highest voting rate was recorded in Halabja, where turnout has so far reached 96%. Out of 952 special voters who are eligible to vote in Halabja, 912 people have voted so far and only 40 people remain, according to the PUK representative in Burhan polling station in Halabja who also told PUKMEDIA that the voter turnout rose to 96% in Halabja, the highest in all four constituencies.

The PUK representative also stated: "Only 40 special voters remain to vote and some of them had problems with reading their fingerprints, the process is very peaceful and according to the guidelines of the IHEC and there are no problems and the process is conducted in the presence of representatives of political parties."

Ayser Yasin, spokesperson for the Central Election Committee of the Kurdistan Region, said in a press conference: “The turnout rate in the special voting reached 70% in all four constituencies of the Kurdistan Region, with 70% in Erbil, 67% in Sulaymaniyah and 77% in Duhok."

"The IHEC has banned the use of mobile phones by voters, while the security committee has also banned taking mobile phones to the voting rooms, so we ask voters not to bring mobile phones in and not create problems," Yasin said.

"We have not received any official complaints about taking mobile phones to voting rooms and any violations that have occurred. If we receive any complaint, we will examine it and so far the process has been conducted well," he said.

Earlier, IHEC Spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai revealed that the deadline for the special vote will not be extended.

According to information available to PUKMEDIA, most of the violations occurred in Erbil and Duhok constituencies, where the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) has openly campaigned in front of the polling stations and complaint forms have not been given to the political representatives of the PUK in the polling centers.

The KDP also used pressure and threatening against special voters in these two constituencies.

The sixth term of the Kurdistan legislative elections is scheduled on October 20, 2024, after a six-year interval. Today, October 18, 2024, special voting was conducted for the same reason.



PUKMEDIA