Kurdistan’s al-Sulaymaniyah enforces strict rules ahead of Iraq vote
Shafaq News – Al-Sulaymaniyah
On Wednesday, al-Sulaymaniyah authorities banned mobile phones inside polling centers and the photographing of ballots to safeguard the integrity of Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary elections.
In a statement, Governor Haval Abubaker said he met with the Provincial Election Coordination Committee to enforce compliance with the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) regulations.
Candidates, he confirmed, are forbidden from using government or religious property for campaign purposes, with fines imposed on violators. Municipal and traffic departments will oversee campaign materials in public spaces and remove unauthorized advertisements.
Abubaker urged political parties to follow IHEC’s directives to ensure “peaceful and transparent elections,” emphasizing that IHEC alone monitors campaign activity on social media and warning that serious breaches could lead to disqualification.
Al-Sulaymaniyah has 1,201,658 registered voters, among more than 20 million Iraqis eligible to cast their ballots nationwide across 8,703 polling centers and 39,285 stations.
Read more: Iraq’s 2025 Parliamentary Elections — What You Need to Know
