EIN Network Holds Electoral Awareness Forum for Religious Leaders and Tribal Sheikhs in Wasit as Part of the "Democracy and Transparency" Project

Wasit – Thursday, 5 June 2025

As part of the project “Democracy and Transparency: Empowering Civic Engagement and Media Freedom”, implemented in partnership with SHAMS and TAMMUZ Networks and funded by the European Union, the EIN (Eye) Network for Election Monitoring and Democracy organized a dialogue-based electoral awareness forum for religious leaders and tribal sheikhs in Wasit Governorate. The event was held at Jibouri Hall and brought together a diverse group of religious and tribal figures from various districts across the governorate.

This forum falls within the efforts of the Subcommittee of the Electoral Awareness Forum in Wasit and aims to enhance public participation in the upcoming parliamentary elections and raise awareness about the procedures adopted by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC)—particularly biometric registration and voter record updates.

The event witnessed a broad turnout from various community actors and was conducted under the direct supervision of Mr. Bassim Hussein Hantoush, Director of the Wasit Electoral Office, and with the support of the Media and Public Communications Division at the office.

The forum opened with welcoming remarks by Mr. Ammar Al-Rikabi, EIN’s representative in Wasit, who emphasized the importance of partnerships between civil society organizations and religious and tribal leaderships in supporting the democratic process and fostering public trust in elections.

Mr. Ammar Musa Hdeed, the technical assistant at the Wasit Electoral Office, delivered a presentation on the importance of biometric registration, the stages of updating voter data, and the procedures for distributing completed biometric voter cards.

Mr. Adel Mohammed Jani, Head of the Media and Public Communications Division, spoke about the ongoing national biometric update campaign, which runs until 15 June 2025. He explained that the governorate has 31 registration centers and over 30 mobile teams providing services across all regions. The update process includes first-time registration, corrections, changes, deletions, and the addition of citizens born in 2007.

The forum concluded with an open discussion session where participants raised questions and comments about the update procedures and voter card issuance. IHEC officials reaffirmed that biometric registration is essential to ensuring the right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 11 November 2025.

At the end of the forum, participants expressed their readiness to play an active role in promoting electoral awareness within their communities. A group photo was taken to commemorate the event, capturing representatives of EIN and the attending religious and tribal leaders.