Duhok, Muthanna close ballot boxes with 84%, 67.6% voter turnout

Shafaq News/ The special election for the provincial councils in Duhok and Muthanna saw a turnout of 67.6% and 84% respectively, according to local officials.

In Duhok, the head of the election commission's office, Abbas Khalid, said that 36,650 people voted, out of a total of 54,210 eligible voters.

In Muthanna, a local source said that more than 14,000 people cast their ballots, out of a total of 17,000 eligible voters. Out of 67,393 security officers and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), 51,858 participated in the polls.

The turnout in Duhok, 67.6%, is lower than the average turnout of 75% for the special election in Iraq as a whole.

The special election for provincial councils in Iraq, which is open to members of the security forces, displaced people, and prisoners, saw a turnout of 38% at noon Saturday, according to the election commission.

The IHEC spokesperson, Jumana al-Ghalai, told Shafaq News Agency that the election proceeded smoothly and without any major security incidents. She added that the final results of the special election will be announced along with the results of the general election, which will be held on Monday.

After years of delay, federal Iraq is finally holding local elections. These elections will pick new members for the provincial (or governorate) councils, who in turn will select governors and form local governments. It has been more than ten years since these elections were last held on April 20, 2013.

Much has changed in national and local politics since then, making these polls significant in terms of assessing party standings. In fact, three parliamentary elections have taken place since the last provincial vote. The councils were dissolved in October 2019, so local politics are completely out of sync with the national scene.

Some parties did not exist in 2013 but have gained great power over the last few years. Other parties were powerful in 2013, but have almost been wiped out in the intervening years. Added to this, governors have held power with almost no oversight since late 2019, making these elections absolutely necessary for reforming local government.

Official data showed that 16,158,788 registered voters across the fifteen federal governorates will participate in this election cycle, according to the final electoral roll managed by IHEC, the body tasked with conducting elections in Iraq. In the Kurdistan region, 3,641,566 citizens are eligible to vote.Several million adult citizens have failed to update their biometric information, mainly due to apathy, and will not be able to vote.

Voting will take place at 38,040 centers. A total of 6,022 candidates are running, the vast majority of them under the banner of one of 68 parties, coalitions, and electoral alliances approved by IHEC. There are 275 governorate council seats available, with only ten additional quota seats reserved for minorities.