Shafaq News – Baghdad (Updated at 18:01)

Voter turnout in Iraq’s ongoing parliamentary elections will be calculated based on biometric registration, mirroring the method used in the 2021 polls, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Imad Jameel, head of IHEC’s media team, told Shafaq News on Sunday that turnout rates are determined by the number of voters who have updated their biometric data, now exceeding 21 million. “This approach clarifies both participation and abstention, as it reflects only those registered in the biometric system,” he said.

Until 2021, turnout had been calculated using the total number of eligible voters aged 18 and above. The difference in turnout calculations depends on whether the measure includes all eligible Iraqis or only those registered with biometric cards. If based on the country’s full pool of around 30 million eligible citizens, voter participation would appear lower since nearly seven million lack the biometric cards required to vote. However, the IHEC now measures turnout from the 21.4 million Iraqis who possess these cards — a method introduced in 2021 to reflect actual participation among registered voters rather than the entire voting-age population.

Iraq’s special parliamentary vote, which began on Sunday, covered members of the security forces, prisoners, and internally displaced persons. The elections will determine the composition of the 329-seat Council of Representatives. Electoral silence officially began on Saturday, prohibiting all forms of campaigning ahead of the general vote scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

Read more: Iraq’s 2025 poll: +21M voters, new law, fading monitors, and fierce bloc rivalries