Head of IHEC, Japanese amb. mull electoral process

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A senior election official on Tuesday discussed with the Japanese ambassador in Baghdad the latest electoral developments in Iraq. “The Head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Faraj al-Haydari, received at the IHEC headquarters in Baghdad the Japanese ambassador in Baghdad and discussed with him the latest developments in the electoral process in Iraq,” said the IHEC in a statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The diplomat expressed his country’s readiness to train the commission’s staff and to benefit from the Japanese experience in the elections,” the statement added. On Saturday (Jan. 31), voters headed to polling stations in Baghdad and 13 other Iraqi provinces to elect their representatives in the country’s provincial councils amidst tight security measures. Over 15 million voters participated in the election, according to the IHEC. Security personnel, prisoners sentenced to less than five years and hospital-bound cast early ballots in the special voting, held on Wednesday (Jan. 28). SH (P) 1