Islamic Union’s election campaign team of Islamic Union in Al-Sulaymaniyah arrested

Shafaq News/ The head of the Kurdistan Islamic Union electoral list in Al-Sulaymaniyah, Mustafa Abdullah, announced on Friday that his campaign team was arrested by security forces last night while hanging posters and election materials.

In a video statement posted on his official Facebook page, Abdullah said, "Members of the team were arrested and subjected to harsh treatment and prolonged interrogation before being released."

"Authorities are preventing our campaign from hanging posters, while others are placing their materials in illegal locations during the day."

He clarified that his team was operating at night "to avoid traffic and congestion, but despite adhering to the law, they were detained for 35 minutes in the Tasluja area."

Abdullah described the incident as a failure on the part of the authorities to honor their commitments to ensuring freedom in election campaigning.

Currently, the Union has five seats in the Kurdish Parliament.

Al-Sulaymaniyah, home to more than one million registered voters, is a key battleground in the upcoming elections.

The head of the Iraqi Electoral Commission, Judge Omar Ahmed Mohammed, announced that the campaign for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections will take place from September 25 to October 15.

“1,190 candidates have registered to run in the Kurdistan elections, representing 136 electoral lists.” He explained.

In June 2024, President Nechirvan Barzani issued a regional decree scheduling October 20, 2024, as the official date for the Kurdistan parliamentary elections.

The vote will see the election of 100 lawmakers, representing the governorates of Iraqi Kurdistan: Erbil (34 seats, including one for Christians and one for Turkmen), Halabja (three seats), Al-Sulaymaniyah (38 seats, including one for Christians and one for Turkmen), and Duhok (25 seats, including one for Christians).