11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

2005 elections in accordance with international standards ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 23938]

"In spite of the threat from terrorists and insurgent violence, the 2005 national elections and referendum were widely considered to have met international standards for free and fair elections. The IECI opened more than 6,000 polling centers throughout the country for a total of more than 30,000 polling stations available to voters. The 2005 election turnout was more than 70 percent.

During the 2005 election, observer groups and political entity agents submitted more than 1,800 complaints. However, many of these complaints were procedural and few pointed to substantive irregularities. Allegations of ballot stuffing or interference by local electoral staff, outsiders, or police were not widespread. The April 2006 final report of the International Mission for Iraqi Elections stated that the 2005 election met internationally recognized electoral standards for free and fair elections and the election results reflected the will of the voters.

Political parties and candidates had the right to propose themselves or be nominated by other groups. The government did not restrict political opponents, nor did it interfere with their right to organize, seek votes, or publicize their views, apart from the legal prohibition on supporting the Ba'ath Party."

Document(s): Open document

03.06.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Kurdish parties agree on Kurdish administration, peschmerga, finances ("original document (English)") [ID 9616]

"KURDISH PARTIES AGREE TO CONVENE PARLIAMENT. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have agreed to convene the Kurdistan parliament following months of political wrangling over the presidential post and leadership of a unified Kurdish administration. At issue were the term length and duties of the president, the command over a unified peshmerga, and, according to some media reports, who would control the finances of a unified administration. Both parties had agreed in December 2004 that KDP head Mas'ud Barzani would serve as president of the administration.

Under the agreement announced on 29 May, Barzani will also serve as commander of the peshmerga, while an undetermined PUK politburo member will serve as deputy commander. PUK Deputy Prime Minister Adnan Mufti will be nominated by both parties to head the parliament; Nechirvan Barzani, currently head of the KDP-led Kurdistan Regional Government, will serve as the Kurdish prime minister; and the current PUK Prime Minister Umar Fattah will serve as deputy prime minister of the unified administration.

The agreement is indicative of the Kurdish parties' style of governance, in which democracy is practiced through a top-down approach. The KDP and PUK hatched a deal weeks before the 30 January parliamentary elections over the number of seats their parties, along with a handful of smaller parties on their coalition list, would get following the election."

Document(s): original document (English)

18.05.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Referendum on new constitution and next round of elections will not be delayed. ("original document (English)") [ID 9615]

"Referendum and elections will be held on time
(Al-Adala) Iraq's electoral commission has denied that the referendum on the country's new constitution or the next round of elections will be delayed. Farid Ayar, a commission official, said preparations are already underway for an October referendum with the elections still on schedule for the end of the year. (Al-Adala is issued daily by the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.)"

Document(s): original document (English)

17.02.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Shi'ite Win In Iraqi Elections Confirmed ("original document") [ID 9617]

Web page on Iraq's 30 January elections: http://www.rferl.org/specials/iraqelections

"The Iraqi Election Commission has certified the victory of the United Iraqi Alliance, a clergy-backed Shi'ite coalition, in the country's 30 January elections. The Shi'ite alliance won 140 seats in the 275-seat parliament and was followed by the Kurdish alliance with 75 seats. (...) "First, the United Iraqi Alliance with 140 seats. Second, the Kurdish Alliance with 75 seats. Third, the Iraqi List (interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's bloc) with 40 seats. Fourth, the Iraqiyun list (interim President Yawir al-Ghazi's bloc) with five seats. Fifth, the Turkoman list with three seats." A two-thirds majority, or 182 seats, is needed to confirm the next president, two vice presidents, and the prime minister.

The two leading candidates to be the alliance's nominee for prime minister are interim Vice President Ibrahim al-Ja'fari and Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi.

Ali Hashim al-Youshaa, one of the alliance's leaders, said today the coalition has recruited eight lawmakers from other political parties to join their bloc in parliament. He said talks are under way to recruit more to reach the two-thirds majority.

The full results for the Transitional National Assembly are as follows:

United Iraqi Alliance: 140 seats
Kurdistan Coalition list: 75 seats
Iraqi list: 40 seats
Iraqiyun list: 5 seats
Iraqi Turkoman Front: 3 seats
Independent National Elites and Cadres: 3 seats
Islamic Action Organization in Iraq - Central Command: 2 seats
Kurdistan Islamic Group in Iraq: 2 seats
People's Union: 2 seats
Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc: 1 seat
National Democratic Alliance: 1 seat
Al-Rafidayn list: 1 seat

In the Kurdistan parliamentary elections, the Kurdistan Democratic list won 104 seats, the Kurdistan Islamic Group won 6 seats; and the Zahmatkeshani Kurdistan Party won one seat."

Document(s): original document

14.02.2005 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Focus on election outcome ("original source") [ID 9618]

"Iraq's historic ballot gave 8.6 million out of an eligible 14 million people in the country, and nearly 310,000 Iraqis abroad, the chance to choose a 275-member interim national assembly along with a new regional 111-member parliament in the north.

The turnout was estimated to be some 60 percent in the country and more than 90 percent for those living abroad."

Document(s): original source

23.01.2005 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Questions and answers focused on Iraqi elections; Iraq is scheduled to hold elections for twenty government bodies, including a Transitional National Assembly on January 30, 2005 ("Iraqi Elections: Human Rights Concerns") [#28424],  [ID 9619]

Document(s): Open document

05.01.2005 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Special report on elections - part 2 ("original document (English)") [ID 9620]

Document(s): original document (English)

03.01.2005 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Special report on elections - part 1 ("original source (Englisch)") [ID 9621]

Document(s): original source (Englisch)

19.12.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Campaign season is officially under way in Iraq ("original document") [ID 9622]

"Campaign season is officially under way in Iraq as political parties vie for support ahead of Iraq's national elections in January. Independent Iraqi Election Commission spokesman Farid Ayar told reporters in Baghdad on 13 December that the commission had received 70 electoral lists from political parties, groupings, and independent candidates vying to compete for the 275 parliamentary seats in January's national elections. The commission had received at least six lists representing coalition slates -- lists grouping a number of parties and candidates together -- while about 65 other lists represented independent parties and individuals, he said. The deadline to register passed on 15 December. "RFE/RL Iraq Report" looks at some of the candidate lists.

Constitutional Monarchy Movement. Headed by Sharif Ali bin al-Husayn, the party announced on 12 December that it has submitted a 275 member list to the Electoral Commission. Details of the list are not known. Al-Husayn is the cousin of the deposed Iraqi king, Faysal II, who was killed in the 1958 coup in Iraq. The movement was one of seven opposition groups to receive financial support from the United States prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, the group was not afforded a seat on the interim Governing Council, much to the chagrin of al-Husayn.

Independent Iraqi Democrats Movement. Led by veteran statesman and interim National Assembly member Adnan Pachachi, the group has joined with other entities to form a unified list. Pachachi told RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq on 12 December that the list includes Kurdish, Arab, Sunni, Shi'a, Christian, Turkoman, and Sabean candidates. Al-Sharqiyah television reported on 15 December that candidates on the list include Electricity Minister Iyham al-Samarra'i; Culture Ministry Undersecretary Maysun al-Damaluji; Al-Sadr City notables Jalal al-Mashitah and Imad Jasim; Planning Minister Mahdi al-Hafiz; Housing Minister Umar al-Faruq al-Damaluji; Labor and Social Affairs Minister Layla Abd-al-Latif; Environment Minister Mishkat al-Mu'min; and interim National Assembly member Sa'd Abd al-Razzaq. Abd al-Razzaq is a member of Pachachi's party and served as the latter's representative in Al-Fallujah when Pachachi served on the Governing Council.

Iraqiyun (Iraqis). Established by interim President Ghazi Ajil al-Yawir, the list was announced at a 1 December press conference broadcast on Al-Arabiyah television. Al-Yawir said the list "Is tantamount to a grouping for all the sons of Iraq from the different religions, sects, nationalities, and social classes." It supports the idea of a free, democratic, pluralistic, federal state, and advocates a national dialogue. "This [political] entity will be part of a team made up of several political entities and parties in the Iraqi arena," al-Yawir said. The president declined to name the parties and individuals affiliated with his party, saying the membership will be announced soon.

Iraqi Islamic Party. Sunni political party led by Secretary-General Dr. Muhsin Abd-al-Hamid (who served on the Iraqi Governing Council) and by Assistant Secretary-General Iyad Al-Samarra'i. Although ideologically similar to the Muslim Brotherhood, top officials within the Iraqi Islamic Party insist that no formal association exists between the two groups. The party was established in the late 1950s and operated clandestine armed groups, at one time purported to have some 2,000 armed members. The group has claimed that it is amenable to a federalist system, wherein the Kurdish region of Iraq would enjoy a degree of autonomy. The party, which operates Dar al-Salam Radio, said in a 7 June 2004 broadcast that it supported the interim Iraqi government, despite not being afforded a position within the government. However, its stance changed in recent months and the party boycotted the interim government and participation in January elections, which it claimed would be illegitimate under occupation. Party officials in recent weeks demanded that elections be postponed. However, the Independent Electoral Commission announced that the party registered a candidate list during the first week in December. Some party members said that the party was reserving its right to participate, while other members continued to deny that the party would participate.

Iraqi List. Led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, the list is reportedly comprised of leading tribal figures. Details of the list are sketchy. Speaking to reporters at a 15 December press conference, Allawi pledged to work for national unity and move away from "religious and ethnic fanaticism," AP reported. "By depending on God, and with a firm determination and based on strong confidence in the abilities of our people, we are capable of confronting the difficulties and challenges and of making a bright future for our honorable people." There are unconfirmed Iraqi media reports that the Iraqi List may be merged with interim President Ghazi al-Yawir's Iraqiyun list.

Iraqi National Unity Grouping. Led by 35-year-old Nihru Muhammad Abd al-Karim al-Kasanzan al-Husayni, the grouping calls for a national reconciliation among Iraqi ethnic and political groups. He believes that Kirkuk should be a city for all ethnic groups, and claims to have good relations with Kurdish, Arab, and Turkoman parties. He supports a federal Kurdistan. Al-Husayni told "Al-Mashriq" in an 8 December interview that his party did not join the Governing Council "because we felt that this council posed a danger that would entrench abhorrent sectarianism and unleash the hand of political groups that want to meddle in the future of Iraq." Al-Husayni claims that his party lost 50 members who either were killed or disappeared under the regime of Saddam Hussein; he added that members of his family were arrested. He is the son of Sheikh Muhammad al-Kasanzan al-Husayni, who leads the Qadiriyah Al-Kasanzaniyah religious school. Al-Husayni has said that his party will contest January elections on an independent list, rather than forming an alliance with other political parties.

Kurdish Unity List. Iraq's two main Kurdish parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), announced on 1 December that they would run a joint list called the Kurdish Unity List. KDP leader Mas'ud Barzani and PUK head Jalal Talabani addressed the media following a meeting in Salah Al-Din that was broadcast on Kurdistan Satellite Television the same day. Barzani called the agreement "historic," adding, "We have decided to enter both the [parliamentary] elections in Iraq and the [parliamentary] elections in Kurdistan on a joint list." He noted that smaller parties allied with the Kurdish groups will be included on what he termed the "broad national list."

Kurdistan Democratic Solution Party. The party, headed by Fay'iq Muhammad Ahmad Kubi, announced that it will field candidates in both the national and Kurdistan parliament elections on an independent list. The party was founded in 2002 and is an offshoot of the former Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group on the U.S. State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations. The party's public relations chief, Diyar Gharib, told "Al-Manar al-Yawm" in an interview published on 9 October that his party is "a democratic party that relies on democratic dialogue." "We are intellectuals from Iraqi Kurdistan and principally intellectuals from all of Iraq who initially tried to form an intellectual group so as to be able to participate in the activities that are taking place throughout Iraq." He claimed that his party attempted to participate in August's interim National Assembly election but, mysteriously, its delegate list was never received.

People's Union List. The Iraqi Communist Party announced on 11 December that it would participate in elections under the name People's Union list. Party head Hamid Majid Musa, an interim National Assembly member and former Governing Council member, said in a statement that the party's list is an independent list that includes the names of 257 cultural, social, and democratic figures.

United Iraqi Alliance. Organized at the behest of Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the alliance was announced on 9 December. It is a coalition of 22 political parties and groups, including candidates from the two largest Shi'ite political parties, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party. Other candidates on the list reportedly include Iraqi National Congress (INC) head Ahmad Chalabi, as well as Sunni, Kurdish, Yezidi, and Turkoman groups, as well as the Al-Shammar tribe. The tribe is comprised of both Sunni and Shi'a members. Rebel Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Al-Sadr II Movement will reportedly not officially join the list, but it was reported that the movement's representatives will be listed as independent candidates on it. (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

24.11.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Interview with president of Independent Electoral Commission ("original document") [ID 9624]

"BAGHDAD, 24 Nov 2004 (IRIN) - Hussain Hindawi, president of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq is charged with ensuring the elections go ahead as scheduled, despite insecurity across the country. (...)

QUESTION: How are you dealing with allegations that insurgents are buying voter registration cards from people?

ANSWER: A lot of people are trying to use the occasion of the elections to sell various papers, but these papers have nothing to do with the elections. The number of people doing this is very small. And our system is closed against application fraud. We distribute the registration papers so people can correct the information on them.

We have our own copies for every polling centre. So the people who are afraid of these elections are those who are not part of the political process, not the people who are going to vote.

Q: What about people who aren’t already registered?

A: If there are people who aren’t on the voter register, they can come with two pieces of identification and they can register to vote. The pieces of identification have to be things like a passport, or a card showing their military service. They have to be residents of Iraq.

Q: What about Iraqi citizens who have been living in Iran for more than 15 years?

A: They have to bring their old papers showing they are residents of Iraq. In Karbala (southern Iraq) we have a lot of people coming back from Iran. We will find a solution for them. We have to find them the possibility to vote.

Q: Have you found discrepancies in the food ration cards? Some people or families seem to have more than one. Does that mean they will get to vote twice?

A: Every citizen will have just one centre where he is on a voter roll, so he will not be allowed to vote twice. In addition, indelible ink will be sprayed on voters’ fingers to show they have voted. They would have to cut off a finger to get rid of the ink.

Q: How do you respond to recent calls by six Sunni Muslim groups to boycott the elections?

A: We have nothing to say to them. Everything is very clear. The voting mechanisms are very transparent using the criteria of the United Nations.

Q: What deadlines do you need to meet to hold the election on 30 January?

A: We have finished certifying the political entities. We’re giving people an extra 10 days to register individual candidates. Then we will have a period of probably several weeks to give people a chance to object to the list. We have more than 150 political entities registered and 55 more individuals registered at the moment.

Q: We understand that voters won’t actually see names of candidates on the ballot. How does that work?

A: First, there will be a number, then there will be a logo and the political party name. If a voter doesn’t know the name of the political party he wants to vote for, he has the logo to help him. To vote for individuals, there will be a name considered as a political registration on the ballot. In general, not every name will appear on the ballot.

Q: Since so many of the parties are new, how will voters know the logos on the ballot?

A: We will have an electoral campaign where each entity has to inform voters who they should vote for the party. The campaign will run from 15 December to 28 January. For example, the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq (a popular conservative religious party) may already have a logo that people recognise, so they’ll use that in the media campaign.

Q: Do you think there will be voting in troubled cities such as Fallujah?

A: We are leaving the problem of security to the government. We hope that there will be a peaceful day for the elections. But it is possible. For example, in Najaf, where there was heavy fighting in August, it’s quiet now. We are going to use multinational forces, obviously, to protect our staff."

Document(s): original document

23.11.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

150 parties and groups registered to take part in the election ("original document") [ID 9625]

"The pre-election political scene is still taking shape with solid alliances yet to be formed. By Ali al-Yassi in Baghdad (ICR No. 91, 23-Nov-04) The outlines of possible political alliances have begun to appear ahead of Iraq’s January elections - although parties seem reluctant to commit to anything at this stage.

Some 150 parties and groups have now been registered to take part in the election for a transitional national assembly, whose main task will be to draft a constitution, which will be put to a referendum by the end of next year. Shia candidates appear to be divided into two main groupings. The first, which includes the Dawa Party and the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI, is made up of parties participating in the current transitional government which agree on enough issues to form a single list in the election. These parties are expected to team up with movements such as the Islamic Labour Organisation and the Islamic Accord Movement, supervised by clerics like Ayatollah Hadi al-Muderresi and Ayatollah Taqi al-Muderresi. Shia politics have taken on an extra edge recently, following the edict issed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Shia Islam’s supreme cleric, urging all his co-religionists to participate in the election.

Since his announcement, Sistani's deputies have been stressing the importance of voting in Shia mosques throughout the country. Despite this, the secretary general of the Dawa party - and Iraqi vice-president - Ibrahim al-Jafari, has expressed doubts about whether the forthcoming ballot will be conducted fairly. The Dawa party is also part of the other Shia grouping, made up of 13 parties including the Iraqi National Congress headed by the Pentagon’s former golden boy Ahmed Chalabi and the Islamic Dawa party (not to be confused with the Dawa party itself) represented by Ezzul Deen al-Barrak and Sheikh Abdul Kareem Mahood, both former members of the now dissolved Governing Council. While Iraq’s Shias appear to be widely backing the elections, there are dissenting voices. Jawad al-Boolani, spokesman for the influential Shia political council, said he believes the mechanism chosen for the elections is unfair and the whole process is happening to suit a United States, not Iraqi, timetable. (...) But according to Jafari, the election process fits with the current situation in Iraq. Controversial Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has repeatedly locked horns with the established Shia clergy, has also recently announced his intention to field candidates in the election. Although his group has made no further announcements, observers believe he is keen to cultivate disaffected political groups that did not cooperate with the US occupation and that are not currently part of the interim government.

Those smaller parties, in turn, want to benefit from what is perceived as the extensive support the 31-year-old cleric enjoys among Iraq's poor. But there are dissenting voices there too. Mahmood al-Hasani, a prominent figure in the Sadrist movement, issued a statement - distributed around Shia cities - prohibiting any participation in the election. Al-Hasani perhaps has good reason for his personal bias against elections – he is wanted by the Coalition, which issued an arrest warrant for him six months ago. The Kurdish parties, which will simultaneously be running for their own regional elections, look set to be represented in a single list in the national ballot. The list will be headed by the region’s two main parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, KDP, which are already well represented in the interim government. Observers believe the Kurdish list will ultimately be expanded to include other secular parties such as the Iraqi Communist Party, former prime ministerial candidate Adnan al-Pachachi’s National Gathering, the National Democratic Party headed by Nasir al-Chaderchi, and the Arab Socialist Movement led by Abdul Ilah al-Nasrawi.

What will happen with Iraq’s Sunni Arabs, nationalists and fundamental Islamists based in the Sunni triangle, is another story.

At present, the Sunni groups are calling for a boycott of the elections, largely in reaction to the military operations ongoing in Fallujah.

The Sunni’s most influential religious authority in Iraq, the Association of Muslim Scholars, has stated that their stance towards the elections will depend on the outcome of the Sharm el-Sheik conference, where world leaders are discussing Iraq. The Sunnis’ Iraqi Islamic Party, regarded as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood, has withdrawn from the current government in protest at the US-led attacks on Fallujah. But the party’s only government member, Minister of Industry Hachim al-Hasani, has refused to resign from his post, saying that the future of Iraq involves more than this single issue. As far as the country’s leadership goes, current prime minister Iyad Allawi, a member of the National Accord Party, is a strong candidate to stay on as head of the government following the elections. He will inevitably have the difficult job of leading an alliance of disparate national and religious movements as well as a sprinkling of independent candidates, such as moderate Shia cleric Hussein al-Sadr, admired by the Americans and supported by independent Shias.

In the current climate of uncertainty, much could change in the two months before the elections actually take place. With more military operations apparently planned, Iraqis will just have to wait until the dust has settled before picking their way through a political landscape that is still in formation."

Document(s): original document

19.11.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

46 Iraqi political parties will boycott national elections in January 2005 ("original document") [ID 9626]

"NEWS CHANNEL REPORTS 46 POLITICAL PARTIES WILL BOYCOTT ELECTION. Al-Jazeera television reported on 18 November that it has obtained a statement signed by representatives of 46 Iraqi political parties that says the groups will boycott national elections in January.

The news channel named the Muslim Scholars Association, the Pan-Arab Current Movement, the Iraqi Turkoman Front, and the Democratic Christian Party as signatories to the document. Al-Jazeera interviewed Muslim Scholars Association member Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur al-Samarra'i about the statement. He said the parties "consider elections under the U.S. occupation false and believe that they do not express the Iraqi people's ambitions." He said the groups were motivated to boycott the elections "because of the barbaric measures, including genocide and the police of scorched earth that were taken against the people of Al-Fallujah." (For background on Iraqi political groups, see http://www.rferl.org/specials/iraqcrisis/). (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

26.10.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Participation of Iraqi expatriates in elections elections ("original document") [ID 9629]

"(Al-Sabah) - The participation of Iraqi expatriates in elections is a source of anxiety to many political figures and parties especially since there are about 4000000 Iraqi citizens abroad. No steps have yet been taken to register voters abroad, said Fareed Ayar, media spokesman for the Independent Supreme Legation of Elections. But talks are underway in this regard with the legation and UN experts, and the results will be announced by the end of this week. As to those whose citizenship was cancelled, said Ayar, the law states they have the right to restore it.
(Al-Sabah is a daily independent publicly owned newspaper.)"

Document(s): original document

22.10.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Progress towards January 2005 elections and the 22-23 November Iraq conference in Sharm Al-Shaykh, Egypt ("original document") [ID 9631]

"FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSSES ELECTIONS, UPCOMING CONFERENCE. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar al-Zebari updated reporters at a 20 October press briefing in Baghdad on progress being made towards January 2005 elections and the 22-23 November Iraq conference in Sharm Al-Shaykh, Egypt that will be attended by foreign ministers from neighboring countries.

Regarding elections, al-Zebari reiterated the interim government's support for elections, but criticized the United Nations for not doing enough to support the planning process. "We strongly regret that the contribution or participation of the UN staff in the process is not up to the required level," al-Zebari said. "According to available information, a very limited number of UN employees are there although we are almost at the end of October."

Al-Zebari noted that the UN sent more than 300 staffers to monitor elections in East Timor "where there is a very small population." "We certainly need larger UN participation and presence to at least boost confidence in the election process," he said. Al-Zebari said that Iraq would raise the issue at the November conference, "not only with the United Nations but also with the other parties and organizations participating in it." Iraq's six neighboring states (Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey) will attend the conference along with representatives from host nation Egypt, the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council, G-8 member states, the Arab League, European Union, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

The foreign minister said that Iraq would seek the support of states participating in the conference for elections, particularly in the area of technical expertise and election observers. A RFE/RL Radio Free Iraq (RFI) correspondent asked al-Zebari about a controversial demand by France that the interim government allow "opposition" forces to attend the conference (see "RFE/RL Iraq Report," 8 October 2004). "As I said, this is an official conference for governments and no Iraqi organizations or political forces will be invited...no organizations or groups outside the Iraqi government's official representation will participate in it. The political and election process is open for them. The groups which renounce violence can participate in this process with the rest of Iraqis. Let them test their popularity through the ballot boxes instead of the use of bombs, kidnappings, and slaughtering," al-Zebari said.

RFI also asked whether any decision has been made regarding whether Iraqis abroad can vote in the January elections. "This issue is still under study. No final decision has been made in this regard," al-Zebari said. He added that the issue is complex but said it is one that he personally supports. (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

19.10.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Northern Iraq: Focus on election preparations in north ("original document") [ID 9632]

"With Iraqi elections scheduled for January, no part of the country will be busier than the Kurdish-controlled north. Voters there will be asked to visit the polling stations three times - for national and governorate elections and to choose representatives of the Kurdistan Parliament, based in Arbil.

Officials here say that the great activity is likely to be made easier by the fact that the Kurds have been here before, first in 1992 to elect parliamentary deputies, then in February 2001, for municipal elections. "If we had to, we could be ready for elections in a week's time," Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) politburo member Mahmud Sor told IRIN in Arbil. "We have the ballot boxes, we have recent voting lists, and we have no security problem." Others boast that the Kurdish experience had a decisive effect on United Nations and Coalition officials debating how next year's elections should be run in the absence of a full census. A small team of UN staff are working on the elections from Baghdad at the moment.

"For the municipal elections, we based voter lists on statistical information the World Food Programme [WFP] gathered for its countrywide food distribution programme," said Zirar Haji Mirkhan, manager of the Regional Statistics Office in Arbil. "It was our suggestion the same method should be used for the whole of Iraq," he added. The only Kurdish member of the commission set up this June to prepare for and oversee elections, Safwat Rashid, agreed that elections were likely to be easier to organise in the north than elsewhere in Iraq.

But he also hinted that the Iraqi Kurdish area's recent dabbling in democracy could be a double-edged sword. "We are working with Kurdish politicians to ensure that elections in Iraqi Kurdistan meet the demands of Iraq's new electoral law," he told IRIN by telephone from Baghdad, referring to the decree presented by outgoing Coalition boss Paul Bremer this June.

On three points in particular, former Kurdish electoral practice seems to be in conflict with the new rules. Both the 1992 and 2001 elections used the party slate system that is to be employed throughout Iraq early next year, but with one major difference. Under Iraqi election rules, slates are fixed - the first name on a party's list is the first to be elected and so on. Under existing Kurdish rules, on the other hand, parties are permitted to select representatives from anywhere on the list, once they know what percentage of votes - and therefore seats - they have won.

The effect, according to Amina Mahmud, executive director of the Kurdish Institute for Elections, an independent NGO based in Sulaymaniyah, has been to turn the Kurdish parliament into an institution representing party interests directly and the people's interests not at all. Party control of the legislative branch has been further strengthened by the tendency of party leaders to change deputies as they see fit.

"Barely a single deputy in parliament today was on the party lists back in 1992," said Hama Kerim Mawat, a senior member of Islamic Union, which secured around 20 percent of the Kurdish vote at municipal elections in 2001. Asked about such discrepancies between local practice and new Iraqi rules, officials from the two major Kurdish parties are coy. But most independent observers are confident they will put up little opposition to change.

They are less sure, however, about the issue of the electoral hurdle. One of the main aims of Iraq's new electoral law, as well as the UN's choice of the so-called closed list, single district voting system, has been to make elections more inclusive by offering smaller parties the chance of representation. In the north, on the other hand, smaller parties have largely been excluded from legislative bodies by a 1992 decision to impose an electoral hurdle of 7 percent. With the third largest party winning a meagre 5 percent of those elections, the hurdle has effectively polarised the region between the KDP, in Arbil, and the Sulaymaniyah-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

"So far I have seen little evidence of a serious discussion of this issue," Assos Hardi, editor of the independent weekly Hawlati, told IRIN in Sulaymaniyah. "Understandably, since a change would not be in the interests of the two big parties." In Arbil, Hama Kerim Mawat told IRIN that inter-party discussions were now centred on reducing the hurdle from 7 percent to 3 percent. "Even that is too high," he said, adding that he thought it highly unlikely the hurdle would be totally removed.

It is perhaps because of these difficulties, local politicians say, that official preparations for the January elections have not yet moved beyond theoretical discussions. In the absence of any government-led initiatives to prepare people for polling day, that job has largely fallen to independent institutions such as Amina Mahmud's Kurdish Institute for Elections (KIE). With its main aim the improvement of what Mahmud calls "voters' civic education", KIE started the first of three ongoing courses this July. Funded largely by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), the NGO plans to have given direct training to a minimum of 8,000 members of the public - mainly in Kurdish areas but also in Basra in the south and Baghdad - before January. "It is a start, and only a small one," Mahmud said."

Document(s): original document

12.10.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Iraq: Government's main goals ("original document") [ID 9633]

"With last week seeing the 100th day since Iraq's interim government came to power, officials acknowledge the scale of the task of reconstructing the country but say that some progress is being made. Among the government's main goals are improving public services, ending corruption and organising elections for January. Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told the national assembly in Baghdad on Tuesday that Coalition forces would remain in Iraq, offering security until the country's own forces were fully trained. He confirmed that elections would be held as scheduled in January, despite the continuing insurgency."

Document(s): original document

08.10.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Iraq: Major political parties form list for elections ("original document") [ID 9634]

"Iraq's six leading opposition-turned-political parties are reportedly working to compile a joint list of candidates to stand in the January 2005 elections, Baghdad's "Al-Zaman" reported on 5 October. The move is seen as a calculated step by the groups to retain a hold on power. The groups dominated the Iraqi Governing Council and were subsequently guaranteed seats on the interim National Assembly and interim cabinet. The groups are: the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, the Iraqi National Congress, the Iraqi National Accord, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Two other groups will also participate in the list: the Communist Party and the Iraqi Islamic Party, "Al-Zaman" reported. Opposition groups have said that the current political structure has made it nearly impossible for them to compete in the political arena, the daily reported. (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

05.10.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Iraq: Election preparations continue despite violence ("original document") [ID 9635]

"Information sheets will be printed for each family in Iraq so that when they go to the ration card centres where they pick up a monthly food basket, they will be able to check the voter registration list. At 550 registration centres around the country, with 10 registration clerks per station, voters will be able to make corrections to the current roll, starting in November. After 15 December, the final list will be printed and posted for all to see, according to officials."

Document(s): original document