Today's Edition
Huda Jassem (Baghdad)
The period of "electoral silence" starts in Iraq on Friday, marking the approach of local elections. On Saturday, polls will be open for members of the security forces and displaced persons, while general voting will commence on Monday.
In anticipation, forces have been deployed in Iraqi cities, including the capital, Baghdad, to pre-emptively safeguard the electoral process.
On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani issued four directives pertaining to the elections, including granting employees specific leave to cast their votes.
An informed source revealed: "The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, directed that special voting for Iraqi Army personnel is to be held on December 16, and ordered a two-day leave starting from December 17 for military college students and civilian employees."
As recently reported by the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, "ordered military sectors to enter alert level (C) from December 14 to 20", adding that "the directives included the immediate recall of all personnel on leave to their units, and commanders and officers to lead their units".
According to the Electoral Commission, actual voting will begin on December 16, limited to the armed forces, security apparatuses, and displaced persons.
The general voting for citizens will be on December 18, with about 16 million eligible voters. This will be Iraq's first local elections since April 2013.
The elected provincial councils will be responsible for choosing the governor and executive officials of the province, with the authority to dismiss, appoint, and approve the project plan according to the financial budget allocated to the province by the central government in Baghdad, as per the Iraqi Constitution.
In another development, Iraq announced on Thursday the arrest of several individuals involved in a recent rocket attack targeting the US Embassy, noting that some are linked to security apparatuses.
The spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, said in a statement that the Iraqi security forces, after extensive technical and intelligence efforts, were able to identify and arrest several of the involved individuals based on judicial arrest warrants.
Preliminary information indicates that some of them are linked to certain security apparatuses.
He added that authorities previously succeeded in identifying those who assisted the perpetrators by providing them with logistical support for the execution area and their evacuation from it, indicating their detention following legal proceedings.
He affirmed that efforts to search and investigate continue, until everyone involved in this attack is apprehended, ensuring they receive fair punishment according to law.
He continued: "Such attacks cannot be ignored or overlooked due to the serious threat they pose to the country's security and stability, the damage they cause to Iraq's reputation and dignity, and the doubt they cast on its credibility as a sovereign state capable of fulfilling its international obligations and ensuring the safety of its citizens and residents, especially diplomatic missions."
The US Embassy in Baghdad was subjected to a rocket attack on December 8, which the Iraqi government described as a terrorist attack and vowed to pursue and arrest those involved.
