By Laith Al-janidi and Betul Yilmaz
BAGHDAD / ISTANBUL (AA) - Voter turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary elections reached 23.9% by noon, the country’s electoral commission said Tuesday.
In a statement, the Independent High Electoral Commission said that a total of 4,795,685 voters have so far cast their ballots since morning.
Approximately 21 million voters are eligible to cast ballots to elect members of the 329-seat parliament from among 7,743 candidates. The new assembly will elect the president and grant confidence to the government.
Speaking to Anadolu, commission spokesperson Jumana al-Ghalai said there is high security coordination to ensure a smooth electoral process.
"There is high-level coordination with the rest of the institutions, security agencies, and the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for securing the polling centers,” she said.
Polls opened at 7 am local time (0400GMT) and will close at 6 pm (1500GMT) with no extensions.
The results of the elections are scheduled to be announced within 24 hours of the vote and will be officially confirmed after appeals are examined.