SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi President Latif Rashid on Tuesday met with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) ahead of the forthcoming provincial elections.
“President Rashid met with a delegation of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) headed by the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Judge Omar Ahmed Muhammad, at the Baghdad Palace,” his office read in a statement.
“President Rashid emphasized that timelines must be adhered to. He also said that announcing election results without delay is crucial, along with establishing the necessary mechanisms to ensure electoral law is applied,” the statement said.
“The Chairman of the Board of Commissioners affirmed that the IHEC is ready to conduct the elections on the scheduled date in all the country.”
“However, Kurdistan provinces are excluded from this due to technical reasons,” he said, according to the statement.
He further noted that Kurdistan Region officials wanted the elections to be held on time, “But technical difficulties prevented this from being achieved in the Kurdistan Area.”
Iraq’s provincial elections are scheduled for Dec. 18, the country’s first local vote in a decade.
The Iraqi government has not yet scheduled the country’s next general elections.
