130 international Observers will participate in observing the Iraqi elections

2021-09-07 09:15

Shafaq News/Iraq's High Electoral Commission revealed the number of countries and organizations that will participate in observing the parliamentary elections in next October.

The assistant spokesperson for the Commission, Nibras Abu Souda, told Shafaq News Agency that at the invitation of the Commission and in coordination with the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "76 Arab and foreign organizations and countries will participate in observing the parliamentary elections."

Abu Souda added that 100 observers have already arrived on Monday from European Union countries, and they met with the Board of Commissioners to follow up the preparations for the elections.

As for the United Nations observers, Abu Souda said that 130 international observers would participate in all the Iraqi governorates, noting that the Commission will not impose on the observers to be present in certain places.

The next elections are scheduled to be held on the tenth of next October, according to what the Iraqi Council of Representatives voted to set in a session held on January 19, 2021, amid government pledges to hold fair elections away from the power of arms.

It is noteworthy that Iraq's cabinet decided to postpone the general election to October 10 from June.

Early elections were a key demand of anti-government protesters who staged mass demonstrations that started in October 2019.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said the decision to set a new date to hold an early contest was made to give IHEC enough time to prepare to have fair and transparent elections fully.

https://shafaq.com/en/Iraq-News/130-international-Observers-will-participate-in-observing-the-Iraqi-elections