Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Sunday approved an update to the voter registry adding more than 2 million new voters born between 2008 and 2010, according to an official decision obtained by Shafaq News.

The IHEC said the newly eligible voters will undergo biometric registration and receive voter ID cards, with registration set to begin on April 30. The decision, approved unanimously by the commission’s board, expands the electorate by incorporating a new cohort of young voters as part of efforts to improve data accuracy and broaden participation.

Earlier expansions had added more than 1 million voters born in 2007 ahead of recent elections, bringing Iraq’s total eligible electorate to nearly 29 million, according to official figures. Still, despite the expansion, millions remain outside the electoral system, with estimates suggesting around 9 million eligible Iraqis have not registered to vote.