Iraqi security forces begin special voting in parliamentary elections
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Iraqi security and military personnel, including the Popular Mobilization Forces and Peshmerga, begin special voting in the 2025 parliamentary elections.
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Iraqi policemen gather to vote during a special voting session ahead of Tuesday's parliamentary election in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Baghdad reported that members of Iraq's security forces began arriving at electronic voting centers early Sunday as part of the special voting process for the 2025 Iraqi parliamentary elections. The vote includes personnel from the military and security forces, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Kurdish Peshmerga.
The Independent High Electoral Commission announced that 1,313,980 voters are eligible to participate in this voting phase.
The breakdown is as follows:
- 1,596 from the Border Ports Authority
- 597,453 from the Ministry of Interior
- 298,054 from the Ministry of Defense
- 18,410 from the Counter-Terrorism Service
- 124,312 from the Ministry of Interior in the Kurdistan Region
- 145,907 from the Kurdish Peshmerga Ministry
- 128,127 from the Popular Mobilization Forces
Monitoring, turnout, and polling center procedures
According to Al Mayadeen’s correspondent, the voting process is under full video surveillance, with cameras recording both audio and video to ensure transparency, as voting proceeds in an organized manner alongside ongoing security duties.
بالصور.. توافد أفراد القوات الأمنية للمشاركة في التصويت الخاص.#الميادين_عراق #العراق_خيار_وقرار pic.twitter.com/ytrK1xqZqi
— الميادين عراق (@almayadeeniraq) November 9, 2025
Ballot boxes are scheduled to close at 6:00 pm, and any votes cast after that time will be deemed invalid.
In Erbil, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent noted that turnout has fluctuated throughout the day, but the process is unfolding transparently and efficiently, with no reported issues in the functioning of security services.
#شاهد..مراكز الاقتراع الخاص تفتح أبوابها لاستقبال الناخبين في محافظة #السليمانية.#الميادين_عراق #العراق_خيار_وقرار pic.twitter.com/OenTH5oeF3
— الميادين عراق (@almayadeeniraq) November 9, 2025
Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari confirmed that the special voting is proceeding smoothly and in an organized manner across Baghdad and other provinces. He highlighted that voters are being transported to polling centers in a coordinated and phased manner under the supervision of officers and commanders.
He affirmed that the security situation at all polling stations is stable and fully secured, pointing to the effective coordination between various security services, polling station supervisors, and the electoral commission.
