Minister: Iraq Adopts Special Measures to Secure Upcoming Elections
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iraq’s interior ministry has devised a detailed action plan to ensure the security of the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Arab country, a senior official told Tasnim, stressing that polls will be held all over the country, including the restive province of Anbar.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, Adnan al-Asadi, Iraq's acting interior minister, said his organization has come up with a special security plan to guarantee the safety of voters in the parliamentary elections, slated for April 30.
Asadi quashed rumors about possible security threats during the upcoming elections, adding that “the terrorist groups and the remnants of the Baath party” have been spreading such malicious rumors to undermine the public opinion ahead of the votes.
He further assured that Iraq’s interior ministry, in cooperation with the police and the army forces, will ensure the maximum security in the polling stations all over the country.
The official emphasized that elections will be held in the entire regions, but noted that special plans have been devised separately for those areas that grapple with unrest, such as the province of Anbar in western Iraq.
“What is important is that the elections will not stop even in those regions,” he said of the restive provinces.
Asadi also announced that neither of the border entries or the airports in Iraq will be closed on the elections day, saying transportation will be in progress normally on April 30.
However, he added, the authorities might impose a curfew on vehicles in certain areas on the elections day.
As regards the security plans in the capital, the official said the interior ministry will keep Baghdad under constant surveillance with helicopters.
The terrorist groups have focused on Baghdad to carry out their plots during the polls, he explained, but expressed the hope that the Iraqi officials would provide the maximum security for the voters.
He finally called on the whole Iraqi political groups to retain the “political stability” in the Arab country, stressing that political calm and stability would in return guarantee security.