ALBAWABA - The first phase of Iraq's parliamentary elections, which is designated for security forces, the army, and inmates in prisons and hospitals—a group numbering over 1.3 million— has begun today.
The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11, in which more than 20 million Iraqis are eligible to vote. It is worth noting that these elections are the sixth since the U.S. invasion of the country in 2003.
According to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), voting will continue until 6:00 p.m. local time on Sunday, with 1,313,890 eligible voters, confirming that "809 polling centers have been designated for military personnel, with 4,501 polling stations."
Iraqi Kurds wave flags as they attend an electoral campaign rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) at the Franso Hariri Stadium in Arbil on November 7, 2025. Photo by SAFIN HAMID / AFP
The voting today will also include the displaced persons category, as the voting process will continue in centers designated for them in advance near the displacement camps and camps, with the participation of 26,538 displaced voters in 97 polling stations within 27 centers, distributed across different governorates and cities.
Jumana Al-Ghalai, the official spokesperson for the IHEC, said that "voting began at seven o’clock this morning, Sunday, with the participation of more than 1.3 million voters, distributed between the military and the displaced, with 809 polling centers and 4501 polling stations."
She further explained in a press briefing that "the Commission has prepared an application on smartphones to track the results moment by moment using the barcode linked to the results acceleration device."
