Azm Alliance head: Upcoming vote is “the last chance for the commission”

BAGHDAD, December 17 — The head of the “Azm” alliance demanded genuine and complete assurances from the election commission before the general vote to avoid a repetition of what occurred in the special voting. He warned against losing the last chance for the “democratic experience”.

Al-Dahlaki said in a statement:

“The head of the ‘Azm’ alliance in Diyala province, Raad Al-Dahlaki, warns of risks and suspicions of forgery surrounding the electoral process in the governorate and other areas of Iraq due to the confusion that accompanied the special voting process, fearing a repetition in the general vote.

There are several observations and violations that accompanied the electoral process during yesterday’s special voting, whether due to the halt of some devices or the delay in manual counting and sorting until midnight for unjustifiable reasons, giving signals and concerns about the existence of forgery and tampering with the results.

The Commission has conducted several election simulation operations, affirming them all as successful experiments. However, what happened in the special voting raises concerns about a recurrence, which undermines the transparency and integrity of the elections and raises alarm bells before the start of the general voting.

We call on the Electoral Commission to clarify all violations and their reasons and provide full assurances to prevent their recurrence, considering that these elections are the last chance for the commission and all the components of the democratic experience.

We warn against any repetition of these violations and confusion in the general voting, as it signifies the end of the democratic experience and elections in Iraq, ending the remaining trust between the people and the political process.”