Low Turnout in Iraqi Elections
As most of Iraq’s provinces headed to the polls, low voter turnout, technical errors and some incidents of violence served as reminders of the issues still plaguing Iraqi society, writes Ali Abel Sadah.
Iraqis have cast their ballots, selecting local council representatives in the 12 provinces, amid a severe political crisis and rivalry between representatives of political groups.
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that election turnout was 50%; however, local monitoring networks reported a smaller turnout that amounted to around 37%.
Al-Monitor asked Mekdad Sharifi, head of the IHEC’s board of commissioners, about the difference between the official voter turnout rates and civil organizations’ estimations. He noted, “The IHEC has accurate figures, based on the voting records. It does not depend on what the observers say.”
Ali al-Dujaili, secretary of the Tammuz Organization, a monitoring network, told Al-Monitor that the turnout in yesterday’s local elections — according to preliminary expectations and its observers’ reports — amounted to nearly 37% in all the provinces where the elections took place.
