Low voter turnout in Basra provincial council elections

BASRA, December 18 — Polling centers in Basra reported low voter turnout Monday, with just 19 percent of the electorate casting ballots, in contrast to the turnout for early voting on Saturday.

Adeed Abdulbaqi, media department head for Basra’s electoral commission, told 964, “The voter turnout rate in the morning  was 19 percent, and we expect it to increase in the coming hours.”

Hala Abdulameer, Supervisor of the Bashair Election Center, said, “The numbers are very low, and the turnout is weak, contrary to what we observed in the special voting, where the turnout was very high. We hope the percentage increases for the success of the electoral process.”