[ad_1]
Iraqis vote in a general election that many have said they will boycott, having lost faith in the democratic system established by the US-led invasion in 2003.
Sunday’s vote was originally scheduled for next year, but was brought forward in response to a popular uprising in the capital Baghdad and the southern provinces in late 2019.
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest endemic corruption, poor services and rising unemployment. They were met with deadly force by security forces who fired live ammunition and tear gas. More than 600 people have been killed and thousands more injured in just a few months.
Although authorities called early elections, the death toll and brutal crackdown prompted many young activists and protesters who took part in the protests to later call for a boycott of the elections.
A spate of targeted kidnappings and assassinations that killed more than 35 people further deterred many from participating.
A total of 3,420 candidates are running for 329 seats in the legislative elections, which will be the fifth held since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Over 250,000 security guards across the country are tasked with protecting the ballot. Soldiers, police and counterterrorism forces deployed and deployed outside the polling stations, some of which were surrounded by barbed wire. Voters were searched and searched before going to vote.
The election is the first since Saddam’s fall to take place without a curfew, reflecting the significant improvement in the security situation in the country following the defeat of ISIL (IS) in 2017. Previous votes have been tainted deadly fighting and bombings.
In another first, Sunday’s elections are being held under a new electoral law that divides Iraq into smaller constituencies – another request from activists who took part in the 2019 protests – and allows for more independent candidates.
A UN Security Council resolution passed earlier this year authorized an expanded team to monitor the elections. There will be up to 600 international observers in place, including 150 from the United Nations.
Iraq is also introducing biometric cards for voters for the first time. To prevent abuse of electronic voter cards, they will be deactivated for 72 hours after each person has voted, in order to avoid double voting.
But despite all of these measures, allegations of voice-buying, intimidation and manipulation have persisted.
The head of the Iraqi electoral commission said the first election results would be announced within 24 hours of the polls closing.
[ad_2]
Source link