“These elections are important for Iraq and are the first step on a long road. It is necessary for the parliamentary vote to be held in a transparent and fair manner. I hope things will go well in Basra province,” said Hennis-Plasschaert at a joint press conference with Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani.

“Observers were being deployed. Many observers were deployed on election day, and the mission's contribution will be much greater than the 2018 mission,” the UN envoy added.

She also underlined that as a result of the technical assistance provided by the United Nations mission to the Electoral Commission and the relevant institutions, the elections would be very different.

Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq on 10 October 2021. The elections decide the 329 members of the Council of Representatives who will, in turn, elect the Iraqi President and Prime Minister.

The electoral system was changed following the last parliamentary elections amid the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests. Previously conducted under proportional representation calculated using the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method with the governorates as constituencies, the 2021 elections will be conducted under single non-transferable vote in 83 multi-member constituencies.

One-quarter of total seats are reserved for women in the constituencies, while nine are reserved for minorities (5 for Christians and 1 each for Yazidis, Shabaks, Sabian Mandaeans, and Feyli Kurds). (ILKHA)