Special voting begins in Iraq ahead of parliamentary elections

Iraq launched the special voting process for over a million military personnel and thousands of internally displaced citizens ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday.

Polling stations opened their doors at 7 am local time (0400GMT) and are scheduled to remain open until 6 pm (1500GMT), according to an Anadolu correspondent.

More than 1.3 million military voters are participating in the special voting process across 809 polling centers, which include 4,501 polling stations nationwide, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The special voting aims to enable members of the armed forces and security agencies, who will be responsible for securing polling centers on the general voting day, Nov. 11, to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

In addition to the security personnel, 26,538 internally displaced citizens are expected to vote on Sunday across 97 polling stations within 27 polling centers, INA said.

Iraq's Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shammari told the agency that the special voting process is advancing "smoothly and in an organized manner" in fully secured electoral centers.

A total of 7,768 candidates, including 5,520 men and 2,248 women, are competing for 329 seats in the Council of Representatives, which elects the president and grants confidence to the government. Roughly 21 million Iraqis are eligible to vote, according to the commission.

The current parliament, which has 320 lawmakers, with Shia parties and blocs holding the majority, began its term on Jan. 9, 2022, and will last four years, ending on Jan. 8, 2026.

Under Iraqi law, legislative elections must be held at least 45 days before the end of the parliament's term.

Iraq's three branches of government are traditionally divided by sect: the presidency goes to Kurds, the Prime Ministry to Shias, and the parliamentary speaker to Sunnis, ensuring all segments of society are represented in government.