Prime Minister Barzani welcomes joint statement by Iraq’s international partners on upcoming elections

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani welcomed the joint statement of Iraq’s international partners in support of free and fair elections on Wednesday.

“I welcome the Joint Statement by Iraq’s international partners about the upcoming early parliamentary elections,” Barzani said in a statement.

“I also strongly welcome the support from our international friends and partners to facilitate free, fair and credible elections, in particular, the provision of international monitors and observers through UNAMI, the EU and others.”

The prime minister went on to add that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will support international teams monitoring the election by guaranteeing their “full access and freedom of movement.”

He also encouraged these teams “to provide sufficient monitoring across the diverse country, including the disputed territories.”

“This support is critical for the integrity of the electoral process as a whole,” he said.

The prime minister also emphasized that candidates must be able to “campaign freely without fear of violence or intimidation so that the elections deliver a genuine democratic outcome for all Iraqis, and for Iraq’s friends in the international community.”  

“Following the election, the KRG hopes that the international teams, and our partners, will provide recommendations to strengthen electoral processes across the whole of Iraq,” he added.

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

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden along with the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom and the United States’ Secretary of State released a joint statement. The statement endorsed the upcoming October 10 parliamentary elections in Iraq, describing it as “an opportunity for Iraqi voters to democratically determine their future.”

“We recognize the importance of this moment in Iraqi history,” the statement added.

“In response to requests from the Iraqi people, substantial resources have been mobilized in support of free and fair elections.”