Iraq: Parliament Must Decide on Holding Early Elections

An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained index finger before a national flag after having cast her vote in the country’s parliamentary election, in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district. AFP file photo
An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained index finger before a national flag after having cast her vote in the country’s parliamentary election, in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district. AFP file photo
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Iraq: Parliament Must Decide on Holding Early Elections

An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained index finger before a national flag after having cast her vote in the country’s parliamentary election, in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district. AFP file photo
An Iraqi woman shows her ink-stained index finger before a national flag after having cast her vote in the country’s parliamentary election, in the capital Baghdad's Karrada district. AFP file photo

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission announced on Thursday that holding early elections hinges on Parliament’s measures in drafting the electoral law.

However, former head of IHEC's administration, Miqdad al-Sharifi, ruled out out the possibility of holding snap polls in Iraq even if a new legislative law was approved soon.

“It is clear that the IHEC has decided to throw the ball in the court of Parliament, which would find difficulties in agreeing on the type and size of electoral districts,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Sharifi explained that elections can only be held after setting the number of districts and approving the electoral law and the budget.

Such measures require at least 18 months to be completed, he said.

In its statement Thursday, the commission said that its board is aware of the size of the tasks entrusted to it, and the importance of expediting early elections.

It explained that a fair electoral process in line with legal and international standards requires from the parliament to swiftly complete procedures for adopting the election law in addition to determining the districts and the number of electoral seats for each one of them.

“At this phase, the commission can propose the soonest possible date for holding the elections according to what is stated in the election law,” it noted.

The statement said that as a first step, the Board of Commissioners set out to put in place the policies, regulations and mechanisms that regulate IHEC’s work.



Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Israeli Strike Wounds a Hospital Chief in Besieged Northern Gaza, Health Officials Say

A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A Palestinian man gestures toward ambulances transporting victims of Israeli bombing to the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip, on November 23, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

An Israeli strike has wounded the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, one of the few hospitals still partially operating in the northernmost part of Gaza, local and international health officials said.

Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya was in his office when it was hit by an Israeli quadcopter drone on Sunday, according to the humanitarian organization MedGlobal.

The doctor was wounded by shrapnel in his thigh and back, causing serious bleeding that requires surgical care, the aid group said. Abu Safiya is the lead physician in Gaza for MedGlobal, which has worked in Gaza since 2018.

Dr. Munir al-Boursh, director general of Gaza's Health Ministry, posted a video to social media on Monday showing Abu Safiya limping and leaning on a crutch while speaking to patients inside the hospital.

The Israeli military said it was unaware of a strike on the grounds of Kamal Adwan Hospital and said it does its utmost to avoid harming civilians.

During the past month, Kamal Adwan Hospital has been hit several times, was put under siege and was raided by Israeli troops, who are waging a heavy offensive in the nearby Jabaliya refugee camp and towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. The Israeli military says it detained Hamas fighters hiding in the hospital, a claim its staff denies.

Abu Safiya said Israeli strikes on the hospital last week wounded nine medical staff and damaged the generator and oxygen systems. He said the hospital was treating 85 wounded, 14 children in the pediatric ward and four newborns in the neonatal unit.

Israel also denied knowledge of conducting any strikes on in the area of the hospital at that time.