Temptations take precedence over propaganda... Electoral competition opens the gate to promises and

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[size=52]Temptations take precedence over propaganda... Electoral competition opens the gate to promises and corruption[/size]

[size=45]The Parliamentary Services and Reconstruction Committee confirmed that the financial budget regarding governorate allocations will not be released until the next local elections are completed.[/size]
[size=45]Observers and experts warn of suspicious electoral competition that the country will witness through electoral propaganda campaigns more than a month before the scheduled date, as political forces raise many temptations in order to obtain votes despite the deterrent measures approved by the Independent High Electoral Commission.[/size]
[size=45]While many observers pointed out that the exploitation of government positions and public money for electoral gain is the first obstacle that threatens the integrity of the electoral process in the upcoming governorate council elections.[/size]
[size=45]Political affairs researcher Salam Al-Rikabi told Al-Mada that “social media sites are full of many electoral campaigns through visits and banquets held daily to win voters’ votes. Paving streets and repairing and replacing electrical transformers have become most of the temptations of candidates for citizens due to the absence of these two things that the country is going through.” Both services are great.” Noting that “exploiting political money to gain votes will end the standard of fair competition because most independents and emerging parties do not have such resources to run in the upcoming elections.”[/size]
[size=45]Corralling corruption[/size]
[size=45]The Integrity Commission, in turn, announced the launch of a campaign (Where did you get this from) for candidates in the provincial council elections, where it emphasized efforts to combat corruption, recover funds, and inflate the candidates’ funds in the upcoming local elections.[/size]
[size=45]Imad Jamil, head of the media team at the Election Commission, explained in a statement to (Al-Mada), “The Commission’s system for electoral propaganda stipulates fines that may reach 25 million dinars or imprisonment for a year, and sometimes there are matters that are referred to the criminal courts, and they may also reach For the stage of preventing a candidate from being nominated, the Commission, by its law, must begin electoral propaganda after approving the names of the candidates and announcing a timing for the start of the propaganda campaign, and this matter is monitored by the Commission.” He added, “Unfortunately, we notice that some candidates on social media have begun electoral propaganda, and this will expose them to legal accountability, because the Commission has monitoring teams spread throughout the governorates included in the provincial council elections, and the number of these teams is approximately 906, and there is an agreement with the Municipality of Baghdad and the provincial municipalities to determine the places for propaganda.” “Elections and these procedures are taking place in a timely manner.”[/size]
[size=45]Gain an audience[/size]
[size=45]The Strategic Center for Human Rights in Iraq, a center concerned with opinion polls and field surveys, revealed low participation rates in the 15 Iraqi governorates in which the voting process will take place, after conducting a survey of more than 2,500 voters in these governorates. It is noteworthy that the elections will be held in 15 out of 18 governorates in Iraq, as there are three governorates within the autonomous Kurdistan region that are not included in the elections.[/size]
[size=45]The center indicated in a statement received by (Al-Mada), that “there is dissatisfaction among citizens with political parties in general, so these parties must look to expand their fortunes and achieve public gain to ensure their survival in power by seeking to appoint representatives who are acceptable to voters.” They are distinguished by their professionalism, specialization, integrity, and prioritization of the public interest over the private interest.”[/size]
[size=45]Invitations to participate[/size]
[size=45]There are many expectations regarding the size of popular participation in the upcoming local elections scheduled to be held on December 18. Observers of electoral affairs find that the process of change in every election always aims for the better, as it is fully linked with the people. Choosing a competent and honest candidate is an opportunity for the citizen to find someone to represent his province, in addition to providing the almost non-existent services from which most citizens suffer.[/size]
[size=45]Researcher in political affairs, Dr. Ahmed Al-Husseini, explains to Al-Mada, “The upcoming elections will be like the previous ones because those running them are the same personalities. Even if there is a change, they will be the same policies and ideas, so there will be no tangible change.” Noting that “most citizens are averse to the issue of elections, as there are opinion polls conducted by foreign civil society organizations that confirm that the indicator is that participation in the upcoming Iraqi local elections will be weaker than previous rounds, and this indicates citizens’ aversion to the issue of elections, as they do not understand They see the services on the ground, and there is no real progress that pleases the Iraqis.”[/size]
[size=45]Loss of confidence[/size]
[size=45]Dr. Al-Husseini explains to (Al-Mada), “The souls of Iraqis are angry because of the inflamed economic and political conditions at the regional and local levels, and there are still security gaps in some Iraqi governorates, and at the regional and international levels, as there is tension regarding the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Palestine war and its repercussions.” And its consequences, and now the scope has begun to expand, to the point that Damascus and Aleppo airports in Syria have been bombed, while Lebanon has entered the front line, and Iraq is not far from the scene. Evidence of this is the presence of a million-man demonstration of followers of the Sadrist movement on Friday, so it will be followed by popular movements towards this issue. Therefore, these circumstances will make citizens boycott the elections, but if participation takes place, the mass of the parties will be the participant in these elections, and there may be very small contributions from some political blocs or blocs.”[/size]
[size=45]Dr. Al-Husseini continues, “I am not optimistic about the promises of political and economic reform unless a national government comes elected from the Iraqi people, specifically a government and figures from the womb of the crisis, as they have lived through this suffering extending from 2003 until now.” Pointing out that “the political class that has ruled Iraq since the fall of the previous regime until today has not provided anything significant to the Iraqi people, and the evidence is the political, economic, security and health crises, but we hope that some figures who serve the citizen in a regional manner will come out, given that these elections are provincial council elections.” .[/size]
[size=45]Informed sources tell Al Mada that the number of Iraqis who own a biometric card is “16.5 million out of about 24 million who are allowed to vote.” This group belongs to several categories, including those displaced in camps or those living outside those centers. The number of these people is estimated at about half a million Iraqis, more than 300,000 of whom are outside shelter sites, and approximately 200,000 of them do not have cards.[/size]
[size=45]It is noteworthy that 296 political parties will participate in the elections scheduled for next December 18, organized into 50 alliances, in addition to more than 60 candidates who will participate on individual lists.[/size]
[size=45]Candidates are competing for 275 seats in the Iraqi provincial councils, 75 of which have been allocated within a quota for women, and 10 seats for ethnic and religious minorities.[/size]
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