ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's electoral commission on Saturday said the recent resignation of nine judges from the Federal Supreme Court will not have a direct impact on their work ahead of an election later this year, though the court must approve the results.
“The resignation of Iraq's Federal Supreme Court members will not have a direct impact on the commission's work, because the commission is independent and has its own special law, budget, and judicial apparatus for electoral affairs,” Imad Jamil, head of media for the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told Rudaw on Saturday.
“Therefore, elections will be held at their designated time, which is November 11 of this year,” he added.
Nine members of Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court submitted their resignations on Thursday, though the reason remains unclear. One court member said it was in protest over the chief justice. The court has also been in a dispute with the Supreme Judicial Council over implementing controversial laws.
Jamil explained that the Federal Supreme Court’s approval is the final step in verifying the election results. First, the preliminary results will be announced by IHEC within 24 hours of the election and then the Board of Commissioners and a special committee will review complaints.
The nine judges who submitted their resignations are still legally members of the court until their resignations are accepted, according to Dara Sekaniany, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Legal Committee. “Those people must receive a response, either by approving their request or rejecting it. If they don't receive a response within 30 days, then they are considered resigned,” he said.
One of the judges is a Kurd from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
