UN joins Iraqi PM in saying elections need to be held on time

The United Nations envoy to Iraq on Thursday expressed the international community’s support for the elections to be held as scheduled on May 12, despite calls by some parties to postpone the vote for at least a year.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) - The United Nations envoy to Iraq on Thursday expressed the international community’s support for the elections to be held as scheduled on May 12, despite calls by some parties to postpone the vote for at least a year.

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and stressed “the need to hold elections on time, according to the Iraqi leader’s press office.

Abadi has repeatedly stated the elections would be held on time and recently formed his Nasr (Victory) alliance, which included prominent Commander with the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia, Hadi al-Ameri before the militia leader announced his withdrawal earlier this week.

The Iraqi Parliament is yet to vote and confirm the election date.

Multiple parties in the country have called for the postponement of the elections, namely Sunni blocs in Baghdad.

“The necessary conditions for holding elections—including the return of displaced people, stabilization and security in liberated areas to create an election atmosphere, and the return of weapons to the state—have not been met in the Sunni-populated governorates,” one of the largest Sunni blocs in the Iraqi Parliament said on Thursday.

The US Embassy in Baghdad on Thursday also issued a statement which stood at odds with the Sunni bloc and sided with Abadi as Washington opposed the postponement of Iraq’s elections.

“The US government strongly supports the Iraqi national elections in May 2018 in line with Iraq’s constitution,” a statement released by the embassy read.

“The postponement of the elections will set a dangerous precedent, undermine the constitution, and harm the long-term democratic development of Iraq,” it added.

Iran, which exerts a significant influence on Baghdad, has also called on Iraq to hold the elections on time.

The Kurdistan Region is also planning to hold elections before May, but a date has yet to be determined.

Editing by Nadia Riva