President Massoud Barzani had instructions for all sides to conduct a calm campaign.
The Director-General of the Ministry of Interior’s Diwan says: “Necessary work has been done to protect the polling centers, and so far, no significant security violations have been recorded in the election campaign. An election observer also points out that this year’s Council of Representatives of Iraq election has seen the fewest violations compared to previous elections.”
The election for the Council of Representatives of Iraq will be held on November 11th this year. Parties are competing to win the 329 seats of the Iraqi Council of Representatives. In Kurdistan, the campaign has so far been conducted in the best and calmest way, and no very major violations have been committed, particularly regarding the security preparations of the Ministry of Interior to protect the polling centers and the voting of Kurds in the Kurdish areas outside the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) administration who reside in the Kurdistan Region and will return to their original hometowns to vote. All advance preparations have been made. City entrances and all checkpoints provide all facilities to the citizens.
Parties are gathering thousands of people, and the decoration of streets and cars is visible on the streets. Each party is campaigning in a different way, and environmentally, the candidates have adhered to the instructions of the Kurdistan Environment Board to keep the Kurdistan environment clean. The Ministry of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government indicates that so far, no blatant security violations have been recorded in the election campaign. Also, necessary work has been done to protect the polling centers.
In the past few days, a high-level security delegation from the Iraqi Federal Government and the Federal Independent High Electoral Commission visited the KRG Ministry of Interior for election preparations. A one-week holiday has been given to schools for preparations to be made for the Commission so that the process can be conducted successfully. Ali Akbar Ismail, an election observer, told The Kurdish Globe: “Compared to previous elections, the fewest violations have been committed, and this reflects the awareness of the Kurdistan society regarding democratic and political competition.”
He also stated: “Previously, in elections, there were attacks on each other and a tense campaign. Candidates’ posters and flexes were organized in a different way, and parties’ language towards each other was harsh, but now the situation has changed, and parties’ language has become softer toward each other. This is due to the speech of President Barzani, who called on all sides to campaign with a civilized and soft language.”
The KRG Ministry of Interior also mentioned that the Iraqi government delegation was pleased with the complete preparation and security stability of the Kurdistan Region and the management of preparations in the best way.
In the Iraqi Council of Representatives election, in addition to the seats allocated to Kurdistan, Kurds also expect to win good seats in the Kurdish areas outside the KRG administration. A kind of calm and relaxation is seen in the election campaign in those areas too, which is important for the success of the democratic process and the peaceful transfer of power between the parties without tension and violence.
The Kurdish Globe