Twelve countries, including US, endorse Iraqi elections; Remind Iraqis of all they have done

WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) - The US and eleven other countries issued a statement on Wednesday, endorsing the October 10 Iraqi elections, calling them “an opportunity for Iraqi voters to democratically determine their future.”

The statement detailed the considerable measures that the international community has taken—in response to protests from the Iraqi people and a request from the government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi—to bolster the fairness and legitimacy of the vote.

One Iraqi observer, based in Washington DC, cautioned his fellow citizens that they should not take such international support for granted, as he pointed to Afghanistan and America’s sudden departure from that country, which was followed, in turn, by the rest of the NATO forces stationed there.

Iraq’s elections are being held a year early, in response to demonstrations in 2019, led by disgruntled Iraqi youth.

Those protests brought down the government of Adil Abdul Mahdi. Abdul Mahdi came from the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, one of the Shi’a parties that have dominated Iraq since the 2003 US-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein and his regime.

Abdul Mahdi was replaced by Kadhimi, who spent his years in exile from Saddam’s regime (1985-2003), in Great Britain. A liberal figure, Kadhimi is affiliated with no particular party—a source of both weakness, as he lacks the organized support of a political party, but also of strength, as he does not share in their sectarianism.

Kadhimi previously served as director of Iraq’s intelligence service. He is known for his efforts to reform the agency so it would meet international standards and contribute more effectively to the fight against ISIS.

The 12 Foreign Ministers: We have Devoted “Substantial Resources” to Iraqi Elections

Wednesday’s joint statement from the Foreign Ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the US endorsed “the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) preparations for the October 10 elections.”

“We recognize the importance of this moment in Iraqi history,” their statement said, noting that “in response to requests from the Iraqi people, substantial resources have been mobilized in support of free and fair elections.”

Indeed, there will be some 800 foreign observers to monitor the elections. As Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, noted on Saturday, “This is one of the UN's largest electro-technical assistances worldwide.”

Read More: Top UN official in Iraq: '800 foreign observers will observe Iraqi elections'

In May 2020, the UN Security Council boosted the mandate for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq’s (UNAMI) election efforts, the Foreign Ministers’ statement explained.

“The resulting UNAMI electoral assistance mission, tasked with supporting IHEC, is the largest of its kind in the world, with five times more UN officials than were present during the 2018 election,” it continued.

After Kadhimi became prime minister, his government, addressing the protestors’ complaints, asked for international monitoring of the promised early elections.

The UN Security Council responded positively to that request. On May 27, 2021, it unanimously adopted Resolution 2576, “authorizing a UNAMI election monitoring team,” the Foreign Ministers’ statement explained.

In addition, in June, the European Union “announced a separate elections observer mission, which now comprises a significant number of experts from EU member states,” it said.

“Both missions have already deployed monitors and observers,” the statement added, concluding, “We call on all parties to respect the rule of law and the integrity of the electoral process.”

Warning to Iraqis: Don’t Assume International Support will Last Indefinitely

Nonetheless, it is feared that election turn-out will be low, because many Iraqis “are deeply disillusioned and view the entire political class as inept and corrupt,” AFP reported earlier this week.

Yet as one thoughtful Iraqi, based in Washington and speaking to Kurdistan 24, advised his fellow citizens, “We had better get our act together.”

“Just look at Afghanistan,” he warned. “America is not always going to be there for us.”