Al-Kadhimi adviser announces number of voters in private voting tomorrow

Baghdad-INA

Prime Minister adviser for elections affairs Hussein al-Hindawi's announced on Thursday, number of voters participating in private voting and that some 500 foreign media figures would cover the process.

"The number of military voters eligible to vote in Friday’s private ballot is 1,570,077," he told the Iraqi news agency INA, noting that their vote will take place in 595 polling centers with 2,548 polling stations strictly distributed across all provinces of Iraq.
 
"The private voting will also include the ballot of 120126 displaced in 86 polling centers at 309 polling stations, as well as the vote of hundreds of hospital and prison inmates at private voting stations," he said, adding that "715 international observers will be deployed at all polling stations."
 
"About 500 foreign media figures will cover the electoral process, which is the largest of its kind in the region," he said, reiterating "the need to commit to directives of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to the security forces to remain fully neutral during the private voting process and to prevent officers from exerting any pressure on soldiers while casting their votes for any political party or candidate participating in this electoral competition, and that any form of pressure will be severely held accountable.

Al-Hindawi assured "members of the security forces that the voting is completely secret and it is not possible to know whom they voted for.”