ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations on Wednesday congratulated Iraq on successfully holding its parliamentary elections, praising the “generally calm and orderly conduct of the polls.” The message came as Baghdad announced the success of its security plan to safeguard the vote, which recorded a turnout of over 55 percent - a 14-point increase from the 2021 legislative elections.
In a statement Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, commended “the people of Iraq” and the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) for their efforts in ensuring the effective preparation and conduct of the elections.
Dujarric cited Guterres as welcoming “the generally calm and orderly conduct of the polls,” and expressing confidence that Iraq’s political stakeholders would “maintain the spirit of peace and respect for the electoral process” as results are set to be announced later on Wednesday.
The statement also underscored “the importance of a timely and peaceful government formation process that reflects the will of the Iraqi people,” reaffirming the UN’s commitment to supporting Iraq “on its journey toward consolidating democratic gains and fulfilling the aspirations of all Iraqis.”
The IHEC had announced late Tuesday that voter turnout for the 2025 legislative elections - including both general and special voting - exceeded 55 percent, marking a significant rise from the 41.05 percent recorded in the October 2021 polls.
The Commission explained that “10,898,327 voters cast their ballots in Tuesday’s general election out of 20,063,773 eligible voters.”
Meanwhile, during Sunday’s special voting - reserved for security forces and internally displaced persons (IDPs) - turnout “reached 1,084,289 voters from the 1,313,980 eligible voters” of the security forces, and “20,527 voters from 26,538” eligible IDPs.
According to the IHEC, the combined figures reflect a participation rate of over 55 percent across the entire electorate, with “the total number of voters in the general and special election days reaching some 12,003,143 out of 21,404,291 eligible voters.”
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, head of the Supreme Committee for Election Security, on late Tuesday praised the “successful and transparent conclusion of the electoral process, despite the recording of more than 132 violations,” which he emphasized “did not affect the election results.”
He highlighted the “technical and organizational aspects of the elections,” noting that the process proceeded “smoothly and transparently,” adding that “all ballot boxes were closed exactly at 6:00 pm [local time] on Tuesday” and commending the “heroic and professional role” of security forces in safeguarding the electoral process.
According to Muhammadawi, security personnel focused their efforts on “protecting polling centers and warehouses, and transferring memory sticks, ballot boxes, and other electoral materials.”
Acknowledging the logistical complexity of the operation, he explained that the efforts spanned all Iraqi provinces, including the Kurdistan Region, “with materials being moved from polling centers to registration centers, then to provincial warehouses, and from there to the National Office in Baghdad.”
He noted that Iraqi Army aviation assisted in transporting memory sticks and electoral materials from remote areas in the southern provinces of Najaf and Samawa, as well as from the western Anbar province. The entire transfer operation, he added, continued until Wednesday morning.
He described the security plan for the 2025 legislative elections as “among the most successful electoral operations in the country’s history,” emphasizing that “no curfew was imposed, nor were airports or border crossings closed,” unlike in some previous elections.
The high-ranking official concluded by praising the security plan for the 2025 legislative elections as “among the most successful electoral operations in the country’s history,” emphasizing that “no curfew was imposed, nor were airports or border crossings closed,” unlike in some previous elections.
A final announcement of the election results is expected at 6 pm local time on Wednesday, though a slight delay remains possible as the Commission completes the final count and prepares for the official ratification of results.