ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s Foreign Ministry on Friday thanked the Arab League, the United Nations and the European Union for their assistance and monitoring of Tuesday’s parliamentary elections.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its welcome of the Arab League’s statement regarding the participation of the League’s mission in monitoring the elections,” the ministry said in a statement.
It thanked the “constructive role” of the Arab League’s monitoring mission headed by Ambassador Faed Mustafa, and expressed Iraq’s “high appreciation for the League’s support and its continued efforts to strengthen Arab joint work initiatives.”
The Arab League’s monitoring mission on Thursday issued a statement outlining its preliminary findings and highlighted several points of concern.
It said the five-week campaigning period was shorter than in 2021 and may not have been sufficient, urging authorities to consider extending the period in future elections. It said it observed significant disparities in campaign spending among candidates, particularly between party-affiliated contenders and independents, despite existing regulations.
Arab League observers reported individuals standing outside polling centers promoting candidates in violation of campaign-silence rules. It also noted the absence of international monitors inside polling stations.
In addition, it found that rejected ballots were not subject to manual verification to identify potential scanning errors and it urged Baghdad to develop mechanisms enabling Iraqis abroad to participate in future elections.
Despite these observations, the Arab League concluded that Iraqis were able to exercise their right to vote and the process was conducted in a “calm and smooth manner.”
The parliamentary elections held on Tuesday were the sixth since the collapse of the Baath regime in 2003.
The Foreign Ministry also expressed appreciation for a congratulatory message from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and thanked Mohammed al-Hassan, the UN special representative to Iraq, for his mission’s support throughout the voting process that helped reinforce transparency and adherence to international laws.
In a separate statement, the ministry also thanked the European Union, noting its deployment of an electoral expert mission at the request of Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and said its assessments contributed to reviewing the voting process.
Voter turnout exceeded 55 percent, surpassing expectations and the 41 percent that voted in the October 2021 polls.