The era of raised hands is over… Parliament enters the era of electronic voting.
The adoption of electronic voting technology in the Iraqi Parliament represents a strategic step towards enhancing the freedom of expression of representatives and ending the skepticism and controversy that have long accompanied the manual counting and sorting of crucial legislation.
The Iraqi Parliament is entering a new phase with the initiation of efforts to adopt electronic voting technology, a move aimed at bolstering transparency and accountability among representatives, and eliminating the doubts that previously plagued manual vote counting.
Member of Parliament Yasser Iskandar Watout confirmed that a group of representatives intends to compel the Parliament’s leadership to transition to electronic voting within the parliamentary chamber, following the example of advanced legislative and international institutions.
Watout told Al-Maalomah, “Relying on modern electronic voting technologies will dispel the suspicions and doubts that have plagued the process of counting representatives’ votes by raising hands.”
He pointed out that “the current manual mechanism compels many political blocs to resort to the Constitutional Court and file appeals that can be lengthy, thus disrupting and delaying the enactment of laws and decisions that directly impact citizens’ lives.”
For his part, former MP Hussein Ali Mardan called on the Parliament and the leaders of the political blocs to make the voting process in the upcoming session exclusively electronic, stressing that this measure is the only way to end the doubts and ensure the transparency of future decisions.
Mardan told Al-Maalomah, “Adopting an electronic voting mechanism removes doubts and accusations against the Parliament’s leadership and gives the MP’s vote its true value by publicly displaying their name and electoral card before the public and the Iraqi people.”
He added, “Announcing the names places the MP in a position of responsibility and accountability before their constituents regarding their choices concerning laws or candidates for office.”
Mardan emphasized that “any non-electronic voting mechanism will be completely unacceptable, as it opens the door wide to the exchange of accusations of treason and suspicion between political forces and the people’s representatives.”
Almaalomah.me