ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - More than 185,000 security personnel have been assigned to secure thousands of polling stations across Iraq for the upcoming parliamentary elections, the interior ministry said on Saturday.

Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 11, with nearly 30 million Iraqis eligible to vote, including more than one million new voters who have reached the age criteria.

“The number of officers participating in securing the polling centers reached 9,932 officers, while the total number of personnel participating in securing the electoral process reached 185,162 personnel,” Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said during a presser.

The early polling for security and military personnel will be held on November 9, two days before the public vote. More than 1.3 million are eligible to cast ballots in the early vote.

The interior ministry will participate in securing nearly 600 polling stations on November 9, and over 7,000 polling stations on November 11, Miri noted.

In mid-October, Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that it had completed all preparations for the November elections.

Miri noted that the ministry had not recorded any violations that could disrupt the electoral process, adding that authorities identified 526 rumors aimed at influencing the vote and addressed 214 online rumors.

On October 27, an IHEC official told The New Region that the electoral body has recorded over 540 violations so far, with most stemming from the placement of advertisements in prohibited areas and the use of public funds for campaigning.

The penalties for violators of election campaign guidelines range from 100,000 to 10 million dinars, according to the IHEC. 

More than 7,750 candidates are competing for 329 parliamentary seats under a proportional representation system.