Iraqi PM reports to UN envoy that election preparations are going according to plan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi reported on Wednesday to the top UN envoy in the embattled Middle Eastern nation that government efforts to prepare for national elections in October, including ramping up security, are progressing according to plan.

Al-Kadhimi made this comment during a meeting in Baghdad with Special Representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert in which they discussed the runup to the Oct. 10 parliamentary vote.

"The government's continuous and tireless efforts are aimed at ensuring success and ensuring effective participation in the elections in a way that ensures that its results are the true expression of the free will of the Iraqi people," read a statement released by the prime minister's office.

It went on to explain that both sides stressed "the bilateral coordination between Iraq and the United Nations and the smooth work of the international monitoring teams that will participate in enhancing the credibility of the elections."

Ongoing nationwide demonstrations protesting widespread institutional corruption, chronic shortfalls in public services, and a poor standard of living began in October 2019 and led to the resignation of the previous prime minister and administration.

UNAMI and various civil society groups announced on Tuesday that they have received recent reports of politically motivated gender-based violence and hate speech against women running in the elections.

Read More: UNAMI monitors hate speech against female candidates in Iraq's elections

In a press conference held in Baghdad, Hennis-Plasschaertsaid that some female candidates face increasing levels of hate speech, violence, and blackmail intended to force them to withdraw their candidacies.