Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraqi intelligence forces seized a vehicle loaded with election cards and arrested its occupants in Baghdad, a security source told Shafaq News on Monday.

The operation, led by the Federal Police Intelligence Directorate, uncovered a cache of voter cards allegedly prepared for illegal use. The suspects confessed during interrogation, the source said, adding that the materials were confiscated and an investigation was launched to determine their source.

The raid comes amid a wider crackdown on electoral violations across Iraq. In Basra, a police officer was arrested for attempting to buy votes near a polling center, while similar offenses were reported in Baghdad and al-Anbar involving vote buying and illegal campaigning.

A total of 3,747 violations were recorded across Iraq by midday yesterday during the special vote. This election marks Iraq’s first parliamentary vote since 2003 to proceed without international observation. Only a handful of local NGOs have been allowed to monitor the process under restrictions, raising concerns over transparency and credibility.

Read more: Iraq’s elections under a shrinking lens: international oversight fades away