The spokesman for the Joint Operations, Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji, confirmed today, Monday, that imposing a curfew on December 18 is not envisaged. He noted that there are three variables that will affect the security plan regarding the provincial council elections. Al-Khafaji stated that "the security plan for the provincial council elections on December 18 will differ from previous electoral cycles in terms of relying on security perimeters, the distribution of security efforts, information analysis, and coordination between formations and citizens." He added in a statement to "Baghdad News" that "the security effort will focus on securing polling centers, voters, warehouses, and ballot boxes," noting that the Vice Commander of Joint Operations' visits to the provinces in succession indicates significant interest by the security committee overseeing the elections in terms of field observation and direct insight into all developments.
Al-Khafaji also mentioned that "the plan has drawn up mechanisms for dealing with special voting, the participation of military units, and securing polling centers," emphasizing that there is no desire to cut many roads and that imposing a curfew is not under consideration; coordination will be at its highest levels between various ministries and security institutions.
A member of the Parliamentary Security Committee, Salah al-Tamimi, revealed the details of the security plan for the provincial council elections on December 18. Al-Tamimi stated that "the plans to secure the electoral process on December 18 have been completed in all operational command headquarters across all provinces except the Kurdistan region. Fixed pathways have been established for each sector's challenges, along with a map showing the distribution of polling centers, whether in urban or rural areas, extending to remote areas."
He added that "the Supreme Security Committee responsible for managing the file of the December 18 elections will rely on three significant variables: multiple perimeter mechanisms around polling centers, distribution of formations, and operation rooms in each province, in coordination with the commission through its representatives." He noted that "the security situation in Iraq is stable, despite recording some violations which do not affect the electoral process's timeline."
Earlier this November, the Ministry of Interior announced the readiness of the security plan for the provincial council elections and the formation of a high-security committee consisting of seven cyber security specialists for the elections. The spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier General Muaqad al-Musawi, told the official newspaper that "security meetings to define the election security plan are ongoing," adding, "All preparations and readiness have been completed, and everything is ready. Only the final outlines of the security plan remain to be set," indicating that "the plan will involve the participation of all components of the internal security forces." Furthermore, the Digital Media Center reported that "the Supreme Security Committee for securing the elections formed a special committee for cyber security consisting of seven specialized representatives for technical equipment," stating that "the committee's task is to inspect the devices related to the electoral process."
