Kirkuk MP for the Iraqi Turkmen Front in Kirkuk Governorate, head of the Parliamentary Human Rights Committee, Arshad Al-Salihi, met with the electoral team of the United Nations Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), headed by Amir Arin and his assistant team.
During the meeting, which was held in the capital, Baghdad, they discussed the necessary preparations for holding the parliamentary elections, the obstacles they face, and the concerns of the political forces and representatives of the components in Kirkuk.
Al-Salihi said, we are afraid of holding the elections, after the Electoral Commission issued a ministerial order that contradicts the law of the Electoral Commission, based on pressure from one of the judges in the Board of Commissioners.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that the Board of Commissioners could not take such decisions by the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, and the problems faced by the Kirkuk Office of the Electoral Commission and the concerns felt by the representatives of the components as a result of previous mistakes and policies were highlighted.
Al-Salihi affirmed his refusal in any way to work in the Kirkuk office based on “orders of political parties trying to dominate the administration of the Kirkuk governorate in the future… stressing the need for the director of the Kirkuk office of the Electoral Commission to be of the Turkmen component and who is known for his integrity, work and experience, without being by a party-dominated politician.
He said that we stressed during the meeting that the Turkmen would hold the United Nations fully responsible in the event that it did not provide assistance to the Turkmen and other components in the event that the Commission continued to issue unilateral decisions that would pressure them by the political parties.
During the meeting, they searched for subsequent steps that will be adopted for the work of the Office of the Electoral Commission in Kirkuk and to keep it away from political influences.
Al-Salihi called on the Presidents of the Republic, the Council of Ministers and Parliament to take responsibility by taking a clear and specific position on the necessity of forming the office of the Electoral Commission in Kirkuk from three components known for integrity, efficiency and work, and not be involved in cases of fraud and bias, as we witnessed in the 2018 elections, without keeping the office in the hands of the administration of the commission or in the hands of one component if not given to the Turkmen.
He stressed the importance of preparing and working to secure and make electoral security plans a success in Kirkuk governorate, and that security would be in the hands of the federal security forces in all the governorate’s borders.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency