Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) scheduled special voting for November 9, allowing more than 1.3 million military and security personnel to cast their ballots ahead of the November 11 parliamentary elections.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai told Shafaq News that 1,313,859 members from various security branches will participate in early voting, including 597,453 from the Ministry of Interior, 298,054 from the Ministry of Defense, 18,410 from the Counter-Terrorism Service, 128,127 from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and 1,595 from the Border Ports Authority.

In the Kurdistan Region, 124,312 personnel from the Ministry of Interior and 145,907 from the Ministry of Peshmerga are also scheduled to vote on the same day.

According to al-Ghalai, civilian employees in these institutions will cast their votes during the general election on November 11, not during the special session.

Election media official Hassan al-Zayir recently confirmed that nearly one million new voters have updated their registration in advance of the polls.

Iraq’s total population stands at approximately 46 million, with around 30 million eligible voters, though IHEC records show only 21.4 million currently hold valid voter cards.

Read more: Elections on schedule, legitimacy in doubt: Iraq heads toward November vote