Shafaq News – Baghdad

Parliamentary election candidates caused significant environmental damage during the 36-day campaign, which began on October 3 ahead of the November 11 elections, according to the Iraq Green Observatory.

The observatory reported on Saturday that candidates cut, broke branches, and hammered nails into trees, particularly mature ones, across Baghdad and other provinces to display campaign materials, affecting an estimated 300,000 trees. Damage was also recorded to public infrastructure, including landscaped medians, irrigation systems, and fountains maintained by municipal authorities.

While calling for stricter penalties, the watchdog affirmed that municipal authorities have warned violators of heavy fines and will seek to recover costs for removing environmentally harmful materials. Staff will be deployed in the coming days to remove illegal posters.

In contrast, the four provinces of the Kurdistan Region adhered to formal electoral advertising rules, with campaign materials displayed on digital screens that can be easily removed or replaced after the campaign.