ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s electoral commission warned Thursday that candidates who violate campaign rules could face imprisonment, fines, or disqualification as campaigning begins Friday.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) outlined three types of penalties for violations: fines ranging from 100,000 dinars (around $76) to 10 million dinars (around $7,600), imprisonment, and candidate disqualification.

“We have issued several guidelines for political parties and candidates, which are as follows: Campaigning must not be conducted in any way inside government institutions, religious sites, or near the Commission's headquarters. At the same time, government vehicles must not be used for election campaigning," Nabard Omer, head of the Kurdistan Region Elections Board at the IHEC, told The New Region. 

Provincial councils and municipal authorities can also penalize candidates for improperly displaying banners and posters in public spaces.

Iraq's Council of Representatives has 329 seats distributed across the country's provinces under a proportional representation system.

The last parliamentary elections in October 2021 saw record low turnout amid public frustration.

Iraq’s upcoming elections are set for November 11. The election campaigning period will continue for 38 days, starting from Friday, October 3, and ending on the morning of November 8, three days before the elections are held.