Iraqi government did not request UN monitoring of provincial elections, says UNAMI

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The United Nations will not monitor the Dec. 18 Iraqi provincial elections as Baghdad did not request the international body to supervise and monitor the electoral process, the UN mission told Kurdistan 24 on Sunday. 

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, known as UNAMI, monitored the 2021 parliamentary election, but the UN representation has recently announced it would not monitor the process this time.

“In 2021, the Government of Iraq requested UNAMI to step up its technical assistance. The Government of Iraq also requested UN monitoring, which was subsequently approved by the UN Security Council. For the 2023 GC [Governorate Council] elections, Iraq did not make such a request,” the UNAMI responded to Kurdistan24’s emailed questions.

The UN supervision of the electoral process in 2021 was seen by numerous civil society organizations as a “reassurance” for the credibility and transparency of the election in a country, where the credibility of electoral outcomes is disputed and mired in fraud allegations.

In response to a Kurdistan24 question whether the lack of UN monitoring this time will affect the legitimacy of the election, the Mission said: “The elections are Iraqi-owned and Iraqi-led. Within the context of rebuilding public trust, we cannot overstate the importance of credible and transparent elections.”

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMI Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert on Dec. 12 attended a simulation of Election Day, organized by Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), in Baghdad.

“[Per] its 2023 mandate, UNAMI advises and assists the work of IHEC,” the organization said at the time.

The IHEC has previously announced that 500 local and international organizations are set to monitor the process.

Iraq on Saturday held the early voting for the provincial elections. The general election day will be held on Monday across the country.

More than a million voters were eligible to cast their votes on Saturday, according to the electoral body.

Iraqi parliament dissolved provincial councils under the Iraqi federal government authority in 2019 following the eruption of October protests over corruption and unemployment.

Kirkuk has not witnessed a provincial election since 2005 due to repeated delays sparked by political wrangling.

The election does not include the Kurdistan Region’s provincial councils, as the semi-autonomous region runs its election.