Iraq election body warns candidates of fines and disqualification
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Wednesday that candidates risk fines and even disqualification if they violate new regulations on campaigning, which is set to begin this week.
The rules, laid out in a 29-article framework, are meant to keep the race fair and free of abuses, Commission Spokesman Hassan Hadi Zayer told Shafaq News, pointing out that penalties range from a fine of two million Iraqi dinars (about $1,500) to being barred entirely from the November 11 parliamentary elections.
The warning comes as the Board of Commissioners ratified the final list of candidates, clearing the way for campaigning to open on October 3 and run until the morning of November 8.
Since nominations opened, the commission has disqualified 751 of the contenders. Some were excluded under Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Law, others for criminal convictions or additional legal issues.
Read more: Concerns and boycott: Will the Iraqi November elections proceed on schedule?
