Baghdad: Newspapers in Baghdad issued on Thursday, November 6, focused on the countdown to the upcoming parliamentary elections, as the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced the completion of its preparations for both general and special voting. Several papers also discussed the repercussions of the ongoing water crisis on the current agricultural plan.
According to National Iraqi News Agency, Al-Zawraa newspaper, published by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, highlighted statements by Hassan Hadi Zair, a member of the IHEC media team, who confirmed that the Commission has finalized all logistical and technical preparations for the voting process. Zair explained that detainees, prisoners, and patients hospitalized during election day will not be eligible to vote in this round, while one day will be allocated for the displaced voters, whose number stands at around 26,500.
He noted that in future elections, special voting will be limited to members of the armed forces and security personnel, w
hile general voting will remain open to all other eligible Iraqi citizens. Zair emphasized that the biometric voter card system and its accompanying technical procedures provide a genuine guarantee for the transparency and integrity of the electoral process. He added that more than 2.55 million biometric cards have been distributed so far, while around one million cards are yet to be delivered. Distribution will continue until November 11, with committees stationed at polling centers to facilitate card collection on election day.
He further explained that the biometric verification system relies on a triple-check mechanism linking the voter card, the individual, and the electronic verification device, which uses fingerprints and centralized database records, making it technically impossible for anyone other than the cardholder to use it. Zair concluded that the electronic verification system prevents access to a voter’s record unless the fingerprints perfectly match the registered data, effectively eliminati
ng any possibility of forgery or proxy voting.
Al-Sabah newspaper, issued by the Iraqi Media Network, focused on the impact of the ongoing water crisis on the winter agricultural plan. It reported that the fifth consecutive year of water scarcity has forced authorities to cut the winter cultivation plan by half and postpone the export of surplus wheat, despite achieving self-sufficiency and maintaining a strategic reserve sufficient to cover the country’s needs until early 2027.
According to the newspaper, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that the one million dunams approved by the Council of Ministers under the current winter plan will be cultivated entirely with wheat, compared to two million dunams planted last year. The ministry confirmed that implementation will begin in the coming days after completing technical coordination with the Ministry of Water Resources.
Dr. Mohammed Jasim, Director of the Plant Production Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Al-Sabah that the ministry, in coo
peration with the Ministry of Water Resources, has developed a precise plan to distribute cultivated areas among the provinces based on available water quotas, with a focus on wheat cultivation to ensure optimal water use. He added that the current plan is 50 percent smaller than that of 2024, which included two million dunams planted with wheat and barley, due to the continued poor water conditions for the fifth consecutive year. He noted that the ministry is making significant efforts to expand the use of modern, water-efficient irrigation technologies to reduce waste and secure a successful agricultural season.
Jasim further explained that the success of the winter plan and the achievement of its goals depend largely on maintaining water releases at the required levels. He pointed out that the Ministry of Water Resources is currently working to manage reservoirs and dams carefully and distribute water among provinces according to agricultural priorities.
In coverage of the water crisis, Al-Zaman newspape
r reported that the Ministry of Water Resources has officially approved the drilling of artesian wells in 14 agricultural districts of Diyala province, as part of efforts to address the escalating drought. Raad Maghames Al-Tamimi, head of the Agriculture Committee in the Provincial Council, told the newspaper: The Ministry of Water Resources has given the green light to start an exceptional phase for drilling artesian wells in 14 districts, concentrated in the northern, southern, and eastern areas, as part of a plan executed by specialized field teams. He added, This step comes to confront the impacts of the emerging drought, which is causing concern, particularly in the Al-Adheem subdistrict and its villages in the far north of the province.
Al-Tamimi explained that the drilling operations are carried out for the public benefit and are primarily intended for agricultural purposes. However, some wells can be linked to subsidiary water treatment stations to provide raw water and supply residential areas, espe
cially villages, if the water quality is suitable for human consumption. The newspaper noted that Diyala province has been suffering for years from a sharp decline in water resources due to reduced inflows from rivers shared with Iran, in addition to climate changes that have lowered water levels in rivers and tributaries. This has directly impacted agriculture, with cultivated areas shrinking in several districts, forcing hundreds of farmers to abandon their lands due to drought and water scarcity.