Soon .. High international delegation to visit Iraq in support of the electoral process

09/4/2018 12:00 am

Baghdad / Sabah / Omar Abdul Latif / Kirkuk / Nahdet Ali
Al-Sabah received the final lists of candidates from political entities and parties approved by the Electoral Commission of 6986 male and female candidates. The Commission also approved the electoral campaign system for candidates in preparation for its launch on April 14, while the Media and Communications Commission prepared a Code of Conduct Professional media during campaigning for candidates.
This comes at a time when Western reports reported on Sunday that a large delegation of representatives of the 15 States in the Security Council, will visit Iraq (for the first time) ahead of the elections to be held on May 12 in support of the democratic process.
"Although the details have not been finalized, the visit of the UN Security Council delegation is a message to Iraq and the international community that Iraq has risen again and has returned to the international arena," the report quoted Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammad Hussein Bahr al-Ulum as commenting on the upcoming visit of the international delegation. "Our messages to the world during the war against Da'ash were very clear, and the international community was supporting the unity of Iraq, as well as the international community's support for Iraq in the war against Da'ash, which led to positive results. "He said.
The Permanent Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United Nations, Karl van Astrom, stressed that "the visit to be held before the parliamentary elections on 12 May next will send a clear message that the UN Security Council supports the democratic process in Iraq," adding that a delegation composed of representatives of 15 countries In the Security Council, is scheduled to visit Baghdad for the first time, and said: "If we look at the date of the visit to Iraq, it comes before the date of the elections, as the message is clear as the UN Security Council supports the draft Iraqi elections."
According to diplomats in the UN Security Council, preparations are underway in full swing for this visit, and the declared goal is to support the political project in Iraq after the war, "urging."


Advertising campaign system
In addition, the Electoral Commission approved the final lists of candidates in the May elections. The total number of candidates was 6,986. The number of male candidates was 4,972, while the female candidates from 2014 were candidates.
A member of the Board of Commissioners, Dr. Said Kakai said in a statement singled out by "morning": "After the approval of the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission on the names of candidates; the Council approved the system of advertising campaigns for candidates, which will begin on April 14, to stop before 24 hours of "The Secretariat of Baghdad and the municipalities in the provinces determine in coordination with the Commission places where it is prohibited to practice propaganda and paste electoral ads for the duration allowed and prohibits the publication of any advertisement or programs or pictures of candidates in polling stations or stations."
He added that "political entities, coalitions and candidates must ensure that their campaigns in any location within the stipulated conditions, as it prevents the practice of advertising and pasting electoral declarations of the political entities of the candidates for a distance of less than 100 meters from polling stations or buildings of the Office and exploitation or The use of any means of electoral propaganda for the Commission by political entities, coalitions or candidates for the purposes of their election campaign, "he said," It prevents the use of adhesives or graffiti in the election campaign and the exploitation of buildings Ministries and various state institutions, places of worship and religious symbols for any propaganda or electoral activities of political entities and candidates. It is also prohibited to use the official logo of the State in meetings, advertisements, electoral leaflets and in the writings and drawings used in the electoral campaign. "
"State employees and local authorities can not use their professional influence, state resources, means and equipment for themselves or any candidate, including their security and military apparatus, to campaign or influence voters," he said. Ministries, Waqf funds or external support funds and the exercise of any form of pressure or coercion or the granting of material and moral gains or promises to influence the election results or the issuance of false statements or the use of defamation method against a candidate or political entity involved in the process Election or against UNHCR ".
"The Commission has prevented any political entity or coalition participating in the elections to ensure that the election campaign ideas to raise sectarian, national, religious, tribal or territorial among citizens or to provide gifts or donations or any other benefits or promises to provide During the election campaign with the intent to influence voters, violence, hatred or intimidation in order to influence the results, a commitment to non-aggression or any other election propaganda of political entities, coalitions or candidates, and not to place advertisements or distribute work programs or publications Cards or cards in the name of a candidate not registered in the lists of candidates approved by the Commission or the use of places of worship in the election campaign of an entity, coalition or candidate and allows its use in urging voters to participate in elections and promote the electoral process.
He pointed out that Kakaai, "the committees in the problem of the National Office and electoral offices in Baghdad and the provinces in coordination with the directorates and municipal departments will monitor the irregularities of election campaigns, as the Commissioner The imposition of a fine or depriving the candidates of the entity from running for the electoral cycle against those who violate the rules and behavior of the political entities signed by them, as well as taking the legal procedures to implement the penalties stipulated in the electoral law, and inform political entities contrary to election campaigns to lift the violation during the period of ( 3) days of the date of notification, and in case of non-compliance with this will be fined and published in the media. "He warned the member of the Commission," political entities to the need to remove the vocabulary of all election propaganda within (30) days of the day following the day of the ballot, The cost of removing these irregularities, which are determined by the directorates and the municipal departments, is not returned. The insurance of the winning political entities is not returned unless after payment of the amount of removal of the irregularities to the municipality. If the insurance does not pay for this amount or it was one of the non-winning entities, (10) days and bring what supports this, and otherwise will be taken legal action against them. "

Electronic sorting
In turn, said a member of the Board of Commissioners Hazem al-Ridini in statements followed by "morning": "The process of counting votes after the elections in May next will be purely electronic process, far from the manual counting demanded by many politicians," noting that "the Commission completed preparations for the process Electronic sorting, through the preparation of devices used in the process of counting votes and connect them together through a complex system is difficult to penetrate.
He added that "the devices used in the screening process will transmit data encrypted and via a special satellite for this purpose," explaining that "everyone expects a breakthrough for the sorting and rigging of the elections, but the data indicate that this is impossible because of the devices "He pointed out that" the Commission did not object to the arrival of international observers, as their presence will be confined to certain centers and can not be all centers subject to such control because it requires a very large number of international observers " .
He added that "the Commission will take punitive measures against the promoters of the same sectarian during their election campaigns for the purpose of stirring the street and gain votes," pointing out that "punitive measures will reach to prevent the candidate from the electoral race and impose fines on violators," adding that " Campaigning for the purpose of monitoring the work of candidates during their upcoming campaigns, "warning" of the use of some of the sectarian language in the election campaigns that will be launched this month. "


Information and Communication Authority
For its part, the Media and Communications Commission prepared a code of professional conduct that the media must adhere to during the campaign period for candidates.
The Board of Trustees Salem said in a statement singled out by the "morning": "The Board of Trustees ratified during the elections of the House of Representatives in 2014 on the blog concerned with the behavior of media professional during the campaign period and signed by the means at the time is still valid until now, Monitoring of the licensed and unlicensed television channels, "adding that" the Commission will take legal action against media that violate the Code. "
"The blog included a lot of taboo, including the commitment to unify the timing of the propaganda campaign among all candidates and to prevent overtaking and defamation by political entities against another," he added.


Controls of the Secretariat of Baghdad
The Directorate of Media and Relations in a statement received by the "morning", "The design department has prepared a new design for use in the electoral propaganda of the candidates in a mechanical installation can be installed and removed easily. Causing damage to the streets and sidewalks, "adding that" the secretariat of Baghdad has prepared an area of ​​(500) thousand square meters covering all electoral advertisements for candidates in all areas of the capital, specific controls for the erection of electoral propaganda on streets with a minimum of 3 meters and carrots Moderation to which at least width (3) meters, "and indicated that" there is joint coordination with the Independent Electoral Commission for the preparation of the electoral controls Baldaiat and take legal action against violators so as to contribute to the prevention of distorting the appearance of the capital. "
The Secretariat of Baghdad in another statement, its commitment to the legal controls with regard to candidates for the elections, and a statement to the Secretariat: "The Secretariat of Baghdad denies issuing orders on lifting the images of martyrs deployed in the streets of the capital and replace them with the images of candidates," the statement, "It also confirms its adherence to the legal controls and instructions that Issued in this regard and calls the secretariat of Baghdad all the media to be accurate in the dissemination and dissemination of false news and health. "


Office of Kirkuk
On the other hand, the Electoral Commission (Kirkuk Office / Monitoring of Violations and Candidates Affairs for the Iraqi Council of Representatives) held a seminar in the office hall in the center of the province to highlight the campaigning and propaganda campaigns and the system in force, as well as violations and electoral crimes.
"The committee affiliated with the Kirkuk Office of the Electoral Commission organized a seminar in the presence of representatives and authorized parties and political coalitions, including two lectures to clarify the mechanism of election campaigns and propaganda, which will begin on April 14 and the need to abide by the controls And the rules and conduct during those campaigns, and the mechanism to take agents of entities, "noting that" the committees in their office to follow up and monitor violations and is informed of the owner of the breach to remove within three days, and in the contrary make recommendations to the Office of Baghdad. "
Yashar Shawkat, a member of the monitoring committee, said that "the distribution of voter cards in Kirkuk has increased recently, after the printing of 130,000 voter cards for the people of the liberated areas, which were considered lost according to the circumstances that prevailed in those areas before their liberation and were exposed to it by gangs Terrorism ".

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