Politics

Hundreds of international observers to monitor Iraq's October 10 election

Iraq's electoral commission said it has also given permission to close to 1,800 local and international media personnel to cover the voting process.

Mustafa Shilani 2021/10/05 23:37

Iraq Kurdistan Iraq Election Iraqi Election 2021

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Tuesday that it had accredited 640 international observers to monitor the legislative election scheduled for this coming Sunday.

The commission has approved and issued identification papers for "640 international observers, in addition to accrediting 46,888 local observers and 207,344 political party agents" to monitor the election process, the IHEC said in a statement.

The body has reportedly permitted 305 international and 1,498 local media personnel to cover the election.

Earlier on Tuesday, the head of the United Nations mission in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, urged Iraqis to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, stressing that it will differ from the 2018 elections "despite concerns."

She pointed out that "there are no elections that lead to rapid comprehensive change," noting that "the elections alone will not bring stability and peace to Iraq, but are a means to an end."

And she indicated that "the results will be announced at the same moment they leave the polling stations, so there is no room for tampering with them."