U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Wednesday that the Iraqi elections taking place on October 10 will be a "crucial" opportunity for voters to determine their future. He expressed on Twitter, "Today I joined 11 foreign ministers in acknowledging that the early elections in Iraq on October 10 will be a crucial opportunity for voters to determine their future," adding, "As requested, we have mobilized substantial international resources to enhance the integrity of the elections."
Moreover, an international statement reaffirmed support for the Iraqi authorities' efforts to conduct safe and fair elections, indicating that the elections provide an opportunity for Iraqis to exercise their voting rights. He stated, "We support the Iraqi government's efforts to enable internally displaced persons to vote," urging all parties to respect the laws and electoral process in Iraq.
Previously, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Jenin Hennis-Plasschaert, confirmed earlier today that many efforts are being made to prevent any fraud in this important electoral event. It is noted that the Iraqi elections are taking place six months earlier than scheduled under a new electoral law, adopting closed electoral districts, where candidacy no longer requires affiliation with lists and can be limited to a small number of candidates based on the population in each district.
A total of 167 parties are participating in the elections, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission, which has earlier called for around 25 million voters to take part in the early elections, where over 3,200 candidates are competing for the 329 seats in the parliament, 25% of which are reserved for women.
Despite the ongoing enthusiastic preparations, supported by the UN mission in the country, which confirmed its readiness to deploy UN monitors at polling centers to limit any attempts at fraud, part of the Iraqi population does not believe that this election will bring about substantial change, nor will it reduce the dominance of traditional parties and figures, let alone some armed factions.
