Ballot boxes taken to IHEC’s storage place

MISSAN / IraqiNews.com: Ballot boxes in Missan have been taken to the storage places of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in the province under tight security. “Ballot boxes have been safely transferred from 221 polling centers all over the province under tight security and in cooperation with Iraqi army and police personnel,” a media official from the commission, Hussien Abdelhassan, told IraqiNews.com news agency. A total of 737 candidates competed for 27 seats in Missan’s provincial council. Voters yesterday (Jan. 31) 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). Amara, the capital city of Missan province, lies 390 km south of Baghdad. SS (P) 2