Shkoi Kurdistan-
The Iraqi parliamentary election has seen a low voter turnout, the electoral commission announced in its midday report.
The turnout across Iraq for the public vote has reached 19 percent, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).
Voters and parties are questioning the legitimacy of the election in an environment where powerful militias operate outside of government control, activists and election candidates are threatened and the electoral commission and political elites are accused of fraud.
EU election observation mission chief Viola von Cramon said in a presser they have seen a low turnout but a “rather calm and peaceful electoral process.”
“The relative turnout says a lot, and this is a political signal to the politicians,” she said. “One hopes they would heed the message.”
Election turnout in Iraq has steadily declined since 2005, from 79 percent to just 45 percent in 2018, according to a poll by al-Bayan Center for Planning and Studies.
