ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Election observers in the Kurdistan Region on Monday reported at least 124 complaints from political parties during the general vote, citing cases of non-compliance with electoral rules and procedural shortcomings.

“From morning until late at night, we registered 124 complaints from political parties,” Hogr Chato, head of the Shams election observation network, said at a press conference, adding that in many voting centers, observers observed “campaign propaganda”. in various ways. »

The opening of some polling centers was delayed and voters brought cellphones into polling booths in others, according to Chato, adding that there was “negligence in enforcing regulations” in some polling centers. vote.

As of midday Friday, during early voting, the Shams network had identified 61 violations, including campaigns carried out near voting centers and voters bringing phones into voting booths.

Muthanna Amin, a Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament, said on Saturday that security forces were pressured to vote for ruling parties and forced to photograph their ballots as evidence during the early voting phase, a practice prohibited by the rules of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU). Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC).

The US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the Sulaimani-based Foundation for Education and Development (PAY) noted that despite the smooth conduct of the elections, there were instances where political parties campaigned beyond the official period, with security forces intervening. with IHEC procedures, the blocking of media access to some voting centers and the failure of IHEC to fully enforce regulations and share information on violations with observers.

Violations such as disclosure of voter choices, coercion, vote tampering and attempts by polling center staff to influence votes could be subject to sanctions, including imprisonment, under the rules of the ‘IHEC.

Taking phones into voting booths violates election commission rules, but several observers said some offices were not enforcing the rule.

Polling stations in the Kurdistan Region opened Sunday morning for the long-awaited parliamentary elections, two years after the originally scheduled date and with the federal commission overseeing the vote.

A total of 1,191 candidates were running for the 100 seats in parliament, up from 111 seats following a major ruling by an Iraqi federal court in February.