Iraqi security personnel cast their votes in provincial elections
Members of the Iraqi security forces line up to cast their votes ahead of the provincial elections in Baghdad, Iraq. Photo: Xinhua/Khalil Dawood
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Security forces in Iraq voted on Saturday in 15 of the country’s 18 governorates before the provincial elections take place on Monday.
Security personnel and policemen headed to polling centers at 7 a.m. to cast their votes in all Iraqi governorates except in three governorates that belong to the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) reported that over a million security personnel voters are anticipated to cast ballots at 565 voting stations spread across 15 governorates.
In June, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that it had decided to open the door for the registration of alliances and parties wishing to participate in the provincial council elections from July 1 until July 30.
The IHEC mentioned earlier that more than 16 million Iraqis have the right to vote and that more than 200,000 IHEC employees will supervise the voting.
There are 285 seats in provincial councils, with 10 seats designated for minorities.
The Iraqi constitution grants provincial councils a wide range of authority and states that no ministry or other non-ministerial organization may govern or oversee them.
The governorate’s executive officials, including governors, are chosen by elected provincial councils.