A displaced Iraqi casts his ballot in the presence of UN observers at a polling station in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on October 8, 2021, two days before the rest of the country in a poll overshadowed by expectations for a low turnout. (Photo by SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images)
Iraq is set to hold its upcoming election under the newly reformed electoral law. On Sunday, the election will be divided into 83 constituencies, instead of 18 from years past, giving more opportunity for those to participate as independent candidates.
This year the country has requested the UN to monitor Iraq’s high electoral commission to help prevent voter fraud. The recent changes come after over 600 people were killed during mass protests in October 2019 when the Iraqi people expressed their concerns that the international community didn’t support their voices.
“The world did not hear us and did not pay attention to what was going on in Iraq as a massive revolution, the revolution that has changed the Iraqi history, but unfortunately a lot of politicians and countries have silenced their ears to the Iraqi voice calling for real change,” stated activist Ahmad Hashoush.
The election will see 130 international experts monitoring the polls and an independent audit firm will be keeping track on how exactly the votes are being counted.
Today was Iraq’s special voting day. The UN was present. #Vote4Iraq pic.twitter.com/6HArkJwD39
— UNAMI (@UNIraq) October 8, 2021
Source: One America News Network
