PMF Slams its Exclusion from Early Voting in Iraq Elections

Iraqis in Najaf register for voting cards ahead of the parliamentary elections. (AFP)
Iraqis in Najaf register for voting cards ahead of the parliamentary elections. (AFP)
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PMF Slams its Exclusion from Early Voting in Iraq Elections

Iraqis in Najaf register for voting cards ahead of the parliamentary elections. (AFP)
Iraqis in Najaf register for voting cards ahead of the parliamentary elections. (AFP)

The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) slammed on Sunday the decision to exclude it from early voting during the upcoming elections in Iraq.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced on Friday that the PMF would be excluded from a special voting process, which is limited to security forces, that will be held on Friday.

A spokesman for the PMF Ahmed al-Assadi said: “The exclusion means the PMF members can only vote if they leave their positions on the field.”

He urged members to turn out in droves to vote in the general elections, set for Sunday, “to make up for the votes of our heroes who will remain on the field.”

The PMF boasts some 160,000 members

Spokesman for the PMF’s Kataib Hezbollah, Abou Ali al-Askari slammed the decision to “deprive” the group’s members of the right to vote in the special process.

“The move is aimed at depriving them of their right to choose their representatives and those who will protect them against sides that are seeking to weaken them and undermine their victories,” he added.

The IHEC had excluded the PMF from the early vote after its members had failed to submit the names of voters who would take part in the process.

IHEC spokeswoman Jumana al-Ghalay had told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): “The IHEC is very keen on the participation of the Iraqi citizens, whether they are voters or candidates.”

“We had called on the PMF to provide IHEC with the names of their members so that they can be registered on the special voting list and biometric cards can be issued for them.”

The PMF was late in providing the names, so they will not be part of the early vote, which includes members of the Interior and Defense Ministries, counter-terrorism service, Kurdistan interior ministry the Peshmerga ministry, refugees and prisoners.

They are still allowed to take part in the general vote.



Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
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Tunisians Protest Against President as Jailed Politicians Begin Hunger Strike

Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)
Figures detained on conspiracy charges in Tunisia - ( Ghazi Chaouachi official social media page)

Hundreds of Tunisians staged two protest rallies on Wednesday against what they say is the authoritarian rule of President Kais Saied and demanded the release of political prisoners, while six detained opposition figures held a hunger strike.

Saied seized extra powers in 2021 when he shut down the elected parliament and moved to rule by decree before assuming authority over the judiciary. The opposition described his move as a coup, Reuters reported.

Supporters of the opposition Free Constitutional Party gathered in the capital Tunis to demand the release of their detained leader Abir Moussi. They chanted slogans such as "Saied, dictator, your turn has come," and "Free Abir".

"What is happening is true tyranny, no freedom for the opposition, no freedom for the media. Any word can send you to prison," one protester, Hayat Ayari, told Reuters.

Hundreds of supporters of another opposition party, the Salvation Front, staged a separate rally, also in Tunis, to demand the release of detained politicians, activists and journalists.

Six prominent opposition figures detained on conspiracy charges have begun a hunger strike in prison to protest against their impending trial, their lawyers said on Wednesday.

Abdelhamid Jelassi, Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Khiyam Turki, Ridha Belhaj, Issam Chebbi and Ghazi Chaouachi - all detained in 2023 during a crackdown on the opposition - have refused to participate in what they say is an "unfair trial".

Saied said in 2023 that the detainees were "traitors and terrorists" and that the judges who acquitted them were their accomplices.

The detainees have denied any wrongdoing and have said they were preparing an initiative aimed at uniting Tunisia's fragmented opposition.

Most leaders of political parties are now in prison including two of Saied's most prominent opponents, Moussi and Rached Ghannouchi, the head of the Ennahda party.

The government says there is democracy in Tunisia and Saied says he will not be a dictator, but that what he calls a corrupt elite must be held accountable.