Commission to avoid repeating 'Iraqi experience' in Kurdistan election: Official
A member of the Kurdistan Region's electoral commission said on Tuesday that preparations for the upcoming election in the region were almost complete and that precautions were being taken to avoid recent difficulties in Iraq's national vote held in May.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A member of the Kurdistan Region's electoral commission said on Tuesday that preparations for the upcoming election in the region were almost complete and that precautions were being taken to avoid recent difficulties in Iraq's national vote held in May.
"Preparations are almost complete for the elections of the Parliament of Kurdistan," said Jutyar Adil, from the Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC), as he sat for an interview with Kurdistan 24.
He assured, as had other IHERC members in recent weeks, that all ballot counting would be done manually. This reassurance is a result of Iraq's disputed May 12 national elections, in which a new electronic system was introduced and is now blamed by several parties as either unreliable or a purposeful tool of voter fraud.
Referring to the controversy, Adil said that IHERC wanted to avoid repeating the 'Iraqi experience' in Kurdistan.
The commission member went on to say that voter lists were "ready by 95 percent," but said there was still time for would-be voters to alter or renew their names, as appropriate.
All parties and candidates will submit election observers to oversee voting, counting, and other electoral procedures, he said.
The registration process for candidates will take place from June 3 to 25, and on Aug. 25, the commission will confirm all candidates, parties, and coalitions registered in the election.
As of Tuesday, no coalitions had yet formed to compete in the election, said IHERC’s Party Registration Officer Zhiyar Dizayee. He did, however, hint that some parties were currently in talks to form coalitions, saying they “have only inquired about the procedures.”
The official dates that all entities fielding candidates are permitted to actively campaign are from Sep. 1 to 28.
Parliamentary elections in Kurdistan have been postponed more than once because of disagreements between the political forces in the region, but is now scheduled to take place on Sept. 30.
