Findings from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission on the 97% Turnout for Special Voting Day  

Written by Noor Omer 19/10/2024

On the special voting day for the 2024 KRI Parliamentary elections, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) described the voting process as complete and successful, with a high turnout of 97%. Polling stations opened at seven in the morning on Friday, October 18, 2024, and closed at six in the evening after the voting process was completed. A total of 208,521 voters cast their ballots, primarily from various security forces. According to IHEC, the elections were held smoothly under the supervision of the United Nations, as well as international and local observers, civil society organizations specializing in electoral affairs, and the media, without any technical issues or security breaches. IHEC’s final report presents the following statistics for Special Voting Day: 

  • The total number of eligible voters was 215,960, of which 208,521 cast their ballots.
  •  A total of 165 voting stations were opened across the provinces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and in external locations.
  • A total of 749 polling stations were set up for the Special Voting Day. 
  • The total number of male voters was 203,773, while female voters totaled 4,748. 
  • The total number of illiterate voters was 18,664, while literate voters numbered 189,857. 
  • The election was monitored by a total of 1,926 observers. 
  • A total of 3,750 representatives from political parties were present at various election polling stations. 
  • The electronic matching device (e-verification device) recorded a total of 205,620 fingerprints, while 2,901 fingerprints were not successfully read by the device.  

IHEC officers on the electronic matching device (e-verification device) utilized for the KRI 2024 Parliamentary Elections for the first time. The is one of the devices that verifies the accuracy of the information from the voter's biometric card.  

In the Independent High Electoral Commission final report for the special voting day, the Commission extends its sincere thanks to all voters from the security forces, participating organizations, observers, journalists, alliances, parties, and candidates for their cooperation in completing the special voting process in a transparent and fair manner. The Commission hopes that this electoral momentum will continue on the general voting day scheduled for October 20. 

Special Voting Day is in reference to the voting day designated for the security forces who will be in charge of providing security during the general election day, which is set for October 20th, 2024.  

Content Type:Informational
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