Voting operations for the parliamentary elections began this morning, Friday, in Iraq, two days before the start of the general voting on the upcoming Sunday, according to a statement by the spokesperson for the armed forces, Major General Yahya Rasul. The UN mission called for a "free from intimidation and threats" environment for the parliamentary elections in Iraq. Rasul clarified in a statement that "the movement and transportation of security personnel to the polling centers will be organized in batches," confirming that the armed forces have planned to secure the elections in areas described as "soft" and conflict zones by directing the commander of the armed forces and the joint operations command to secure those regions.
The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority announced that airports in Iraq, including the Kurdistan region, will close at 6 PM tomorrow, on the eve of the polling. Iraqi authorities informed all national carriers and airlines of this directive, with airports set to reopen at 6 AM on the following Monday. Military voters will cast their votes at 595 polling centers, which include 2,548 voting stations distributed across all provinces of Iraq.
On Friday, the United Nations called for confidence among Iraqis to vote in the parliamentary elections, demanding a pressure-free environment for voting. Two days before the election process to select members of the upcoming parliament, the UN mission in Iraq urged all parties in the country to "respect the freedom of every Iraqi to vote for the candidates of their choice."
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced the end of the parliamentary term for the council, urging Iraqis to create "change" in the legislative elections scheduled for this upcoming Sunday. Al-Kadhimi described the elections on his Twitter account as "the national course to produce a new parliament and to protect our homeland and build the state." He addressed Iraqis, saying, "Choose freely who represents you based on Iraq's national values. Create change with your will."
