Written question asked by Harry Cohen (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 December 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 7 February 2005. It was answered by Chris Mullin (Labour) on Monday, 7 February 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many ballot papers for the Iraqi election will be (a) printed and (b) issued; what arrangements have been put in place to ensure that surplus ballot papers are not used and counted; what arrangements are in place to ensure that there is no (i) multiple voting by individuals and (ii) voting by individuals in place of dead or absentee Iraqis; and if he will make a statement. - Inc figure.

Answer: Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many ballot papers for the Iraqi election will be (a) printed and (b) issued; what arrangements have been put in place to ensure that surplus ballot papers are not used and counted; what arrangements are in place to ensure that there is no (i) multiple voting by individuals and (ii) voting by individuals in place of dead or absentee Iraqis; and if he will make a statement. [207221] Mr. Mullin: The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) printed 59 million ballot papers for the national and provincial elections. The total number of ballot papers allocated to a polling station was determined by the voter register. A small number of surplus ballots were provided to account for spoilt ballots. The IECI ensured that ballot papers were under observation throughout the process, including putting the ballots in tamper evident bags during transit to the tally centre. On polling day, voters were required to present identification and were checked against the voter register before entering the polling station and collecting a ballot paper. Once their vote was cast, their finger was marked with indelible ink. Before the election took place the voter register was presented for challenges. 4,500 deceased voters had already been removed at an earlier stage. Any that were identified during the challenge period were marked as ineligible.

Secondary information