with the conclusion of the fourth year. Second: The new Council of Representatives shall be elected forty-five days before the conclusion of the preceding electoral term. The previous election had been on 15 December 2005. The opening session of the Council of Representatives had been 16 March 2006 (the swearing in session) and the first substantive session of the Council of Representatives was then held on 22 April 2006. The Court was of the opinion that the swearing in session on 16 March 2006 was the "first session" as required by Article 56(First). It therefore followed that the conclusion of the fourth year would be on 15 March 2010 and that the election should be 45 days prior to 15 March 2010, i.e., 30 January 2010. The court decided that the calendar year referred to was the 365-day Gregorian year (and not for example the 360-day Hijri year). 2010 Iraqi parliamentary election 2013 provincial councils (local government) elections 2013 elections statistics Overall turnout: 51% (Similar to turnout in 2009 Elections) Number of registered eligible voters: Approx. 13,800,000 (Including 14,000 prisoners, 55,000 hospital patients and 53,000 displaced Iraqis eligible to vote). Number of voters turned out: 6,400,777 voters Elections are held: 12 provinces (out of 18 provinces). Four provinces are part of the semi-autonomous region Kurdistan with their Elections in September 2013, two provinces (Anbar, Nineveh) requested to postpone their elections due to security reasons. No. of seats contested: 378 seats in Province Councils (Local Government). Number of candidates: 8138 Female candidates: 2205 Male candidates: 5933 This is the sixth voting exercise by Iraqis in 10 years: 2004 National Assembly Elections 2005 Constitution Referendum 2005 Parliamentary Elections 2009 Provincial Councils 2010 Parliamentary elections 2013 Provincial Council (Saturday 20 April) Number of parties and alliances competing: 256 parties and 50 political alliances International independent observers (non-Iraqi): 350 Local independent observers: 6,000 Political parties’ observers (political entity representatives): 267,388 Polling stations: 5,370 (5,178)¹ Ballot boxes: 32,445 (32,201)² election ballot box Including polling stations in prisons and hospitals. Polling stations opening time: 07:00 to 17:00 (Baghdad Time) IHEC Help Centre Freephone: 2800 calls received from voters. Local Help Centres set up by IHEC: 12 (one in each province). IHEC staff (including reserve staff): 180,000 100% of staff in this election were Iraqis Local journalists and media: 2,256 International journalists: 187 Basrah In Basrah the numbers were as follows: Voter turnout: 42% Registered eligible voters: