Intense Political Bloc Competition in Karbala Province Elections
The english section of webangah News Agency,citing shafaq News via Mehr News Agency,reported that observers noted a strong competition among several political blocs in Karbala province during the special parliamentary elections. These blocs vied for 11 parliamentary seats allocated to the province.
Majid Al-Khayyat,an election observer,told Shafaq News that the rivalry was intense among blocs with significant public support in Karbala,while other groups competed mostly for one or two seats.
Al-Khayyat added that despite the Sadrist movement’s absence from this election, these results could boost voter turnout ahead of next Tuesday’s general elections. He noted that turnout among security personnel surpassed 55 percent during this special vote, reflecting strong participation.
He emphasized that the electoral process was well-organized by security forces and no pressure was reported on voters to support any specific party or side during polling.
Omar Ahmed, head of Iraq’s Self-reliant High Electoral Commission Council of Commissioners, announced an overall turnout rate of 82 percent in this special parliamentary election.
Ahmed stated that more than 1.1 million participants cast their ballots during this vote.
According to Shafaq News, Kurdistan recorded the highest participation rate at over 97 percent across Erbil, Dohuk, and Sulaymaniyah provinces. In contrast, central and southern provinces saw turnout rates ranging between 50 and 85 percent.
The special vote involved 1,313,980 military voters who cast their ballots across 809 polling centers and 4,501 voting stations nationwide.
