Iraqi President Calls for Preventing Electoral Fraud

Iraqi President Calls for Preventing
Electoral Fraud
Iraqi President Barham Salih
stressed the importance of guaranteeing the appropriate conditions for the
success of the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on
June 6.
During a meeting with a delegation
of Al-Amal Al-Kurdistaniyah alliance, the president said the elections should
be held in a suitable atmosphere, away from fraud, manipulation and pressure.
He also called for “concerted
efforts to reach radical solutions to the outstanding issues between the
Kurdistan region and the federal government, based on the constitution, and for
the 2021 budget to guarantee the rights of all citizens.”
In a session with a number of
writers and media professionals, attended by Asharq Al-Awsat on Monday, the
Iraqi president said that the upcoming elections were “gaining momentum
following calls by the popular movement and a broad public opinion for the need
to change the current situation and correct paths.”
“The integrity of the electoral process must be
a top priority that guarantees the right of the voter to choose his
representatives away from fraud and influences, in order to be the starting
point for a new political pact that fulfills the aspirations of the Iraqis,” he
emphasized.
Meanwhile, Abdul-Hussein
Al-Hindawi, the advisor to the Prime Minister for Elections Affairs, denied a
plan to postpone the polls.
In a statement, he said the
elections “will be held by the government as scheduled on June 6, and no
postponement has been proposed.”