Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi accused certain parties of working to undermine the government, as polling centers for the special elections closed their doors to eligible voters in various Iraqi cities on Friday, with the participation of armed and security forces. In a speech on Friday, al-Kadhimi stated that his country "has overcome various difficulties and obstacles to organize the Iraqi legislative elections."
He accused some parties of attempting to sabotage the work of the Iraqi government, affirming that his government prioritizes the interests of Iraq above all else. Al-Kadhimi emphasized that "Iraq is not a 'garden' for anyone and that it is above all party considerations," stressing the importance of not tolerating any violations of the electoral process in Iraq.
The Iraqi Prime Minister insisted that the Iraqi elections must be transparent and fair, stating that the goal is to realize the will of the voters, and confirmed: "I will personally oversee securing the elections." He added, "We reject using the needs of the Iraqi people as a tool for political and electoral blackmail... we must work together to harness the capabilities of the people to put the country on the path of progress."
According to Jomana Al-Ghalai, the official spokesperson for the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq, who spoke to Sky News Arabia, "The manual counting and sorting operations for the special voting results have begun, and they will not be announced until after the completion of the general polling two days later on the upcoming Sunday, at which point the results of both voting processes will be merged and the unified results will be announced 24 hours after the end of the general voting." Special voting includes displaced persons, numbering over 120,000, across 86 polling centers with a total of 309 stations.
