UN: 800 observers will participate in the Iraqi elections

INA - BAGHDAD 
 
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, confirmed on Saturday, that 800 UN observers will participate in the Iraqi elections.

“Excited to visit Basra Governorate, and that the issue of the elections that will take place on October, 10th has taken the largest part of discussions with officials in Basra," said Plasschaert in a joint press conference with Basra Governor Asaad Al-Eidani, that was attended by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reporter.

"These elections are important for Iraq and are a first step on a long road," she said.

Plasschaert noted, "It is necessary for the elections to be conducted in a transparent and fair manner," expressing her hope that "things will go well in Basra province,”

She pointed out that "this United Nations mission is different from previous missions, and that the mission of 2018 was limited to a small part of security assistance only, and that the current mission will provide huge technical assistance," noting that “observers were being deployed.  Many observers were deployed on election day, and the mission's contribution will be much greater than the 2018 mission,”

"As a result of the technical assistance provided by the United Nations mission to the Electoral Commission and the relevant institutions, the elections will be very different," she expressed showing optimism in, "the technical aspect of the voting process,”

She noted "the  presence of a large number of international observers from the United Nations, the European Union and the League of Arab States, as well as observers from local organizations, and everyone will supervise the elections,”

"The number of observers from the United Nations is 800 people, including people providing assistance," she noted, adding that "October of 2019 witnessed demonstrations in large numbers, during which many were martyred and injured, and that one of the main demands of the demonstrators was holding early elections, and that these elections will take place on the 10th of October, to honor the people who went to the streets and gave their lives,”

Plasschaert expressed her hope that "everyone who can vote in the elections to participate because the vote of the electorate has value, and that transparent elections will be a first step on the road leading to an Iraq capable of serving its citizens,”

“Everything will be monitored before the elections, and more than one simulation will take place,” she concluded.