Iraqi security forces disperse anti-elections protest
Shafaq News/ On Friday, dozens demonstrated before the Wasit Provincial Council building in Kut against holding provincial council elections.
A local source told Shafaq News that a security force forcefully dispersed the demonstration and arrested four demonstrators, including Ahmed Al-Azzawi, known as (Abu Al-Tayeb) and Qasim Beiruti, known as (Al-Beiruti).”
Iraq is set to hold local elections on December 18 in all governorates except for the Kurdistan Region. These elections will pick new members for the provincial (or governorate) councils, who will select governors and form local governments. It has been over ten years since these elections were last held on April 20, 2013.
Since then, there has been much change in national and local politics, making these polls significant in assessing party standings. Three parliamentary elections have taken place since the last provincial vote. The councils were dissolved in October 2019, so local politics are entirely out of sync with the national scene.
Some parties did not exist in 2013 but have gained great power over the last few years. Other parties were influential in 2013 but have almost been wiped out in the intervening years. Additionally, governors have held power with almost no oversight since late 2019, making these elections necessary for reforming local government.
Official data showed that 16,158,788 registered voters across the fifteen federal governorates will participate in this election cycle, according to the final electoral roll managed by IHEC, the body tasked with conducting elections in Iraq. In the Kurdistan region, 3,641,566 citizens are eligible to vote. Several million adult citizens have failed to update their biometric information, mainly due to apathy, and cannot vote.
Voting will take place at 38,040 centers. A total of 6,022 candidates are running, the vast majority of them under the banner of one of 68 parties, coalitions, and electoral alliances approved by IHEC. 275 governorate council seats are available, with only ten additional quota seats reserved for minorities.
