Baghdad Municipality issues regulations for election campaign materials

BAGHDAD — The Baghdad Municipality sent a letter to the Independent High Electoral Commission on Sunday outlining eight regulations governing election campaigning in the capital.

The rules prohibit gluing campaign posters on walls anywhere in Baghdad and restrict the use of public property for political promotion.

According to the document, the municipality banned attaching campaign materials to traffic signs, public gardens, street medians, and sidewalks, including the use of cement to fix signs.

Campaigning for Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections began Friday. The elections are scheduled for Nov. 11.

The municipality also forbade using the walls and buildings of government offices, schools, universities, mosques, religious sites, bridges, heritage sites, monuments, and statues for political advertisements.

The regulations stipulate that campaign materials must be easy to remove after the election. Permitted formats include cloth banners, removable metal or wooden signs, and modern flex boards placed only in designated areas.

Municipal field teams will document and immediately remove any materials placed in violation of these rules, and the municipality will impose financial penalties on candidates, parties, or coalitions under existing municipal laws and regulations.