Four presidencies discuss preparations for November elections in Baghdad meeting

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s four presidencies convened Monday in Baghdad to review preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place on November 11, and other political and legal issues, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s media office said.

The meeting was attended by al-Sudani, President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, Speaker of Parliament Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, and Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zaidan.

According to the statement, the session reviewed proposals submitted by the president “aimed at ensuring a safe and stable electoral environment characterized by transparency and integrity, and designed to provide equal opportunities for all electoral competitors.”

Earlier this month, President Rashid submitted a set of proposals to Iraq’s Coordination Framework aimed at safeguarding the integrity of the Nov. 11 parliamentary elections and curbing the use of state resources for political gain.

On the judiciary’s role, the statement said the Supreme Judicial Council is responsible for implementing electoral legislation, reinforcing the rule of law, and preserving the democratic process “thereby strengthening citizens’ trust in constitutional institutions and their role in serving the public good.”

Statement from Al-Sudani’s media office:

The Four Presidencies convened today, Monday, at Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, with the participation of Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani, President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, Speaker of the Council of Representatives Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, and President of the Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zaidan, to discuss the latest developments in the country and preparations for the upcoming elections.

The meeting reviewed the proposals submitted by the President of the Republic aimed at ensuring a safe and stable electoral environment characterized by transparency and integrity, and designed to provide equal opportunities for all electoral competitors.

The participants discussed the issues that accompanied the recent sessions of the Council of Representatives, stressing the need to resolve them through established legal procedures, while focusing on reviewing and passing the various bills presented to the Council of Representatives in a manner that safeguards the rights of all citizens.

The meeting also addressed the responsibilities of the Supreme Judicial Council in implementing electoral legislation, reinforcing the rule of law, preserving the democratic process in the country, and upholding principles of integrity and transparency, thereby strengthening citizens’ trust in constitutional institutions and their role in serving the public good.

Discussions further covered the implementation of the General Amnesty Law, the number of inmates eligible under its provisions, the management of their cases, the nature of the committees tasked with reinvestigating, retrying, or releasing them, and emphasized the importance of facilitating the law’s application and overcoming obstacles hindering its execution.