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.
