IHEC extends registration period for political alliances after call to delay elections

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq’s electoral commission decided on Tuesday to extend the registration period of political alliances for the upcoming Iraqi elections amid after saying the elections should be postponed from June to October.

“The board of commissioners decided to extend the registration period for political alliances wishing to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, to allow more room for review and registration,” read a Tuesday statement from the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) on Tuesday. 

The decision was made as a result of low registration numbers, it said, and registration will close upon a further decision from the commission.

The commission also reiterated that they have suggested postponing the elections – scheduled for June 6, a year earlier than planned - to October 16.

“This came after several meetings attended by the chairman and members of the board of commissioners with the prime minister, president, head of the parliament, and head of the Supreme Judicial Council. The Special Representative for the Secretary General of the United Nations in Iraq was also present in the meetings,” read the statement.

The commission on Sunday called for the postponement of parliamentary elections in a letter sent to the prime minister’s office, published on state media. It also asked for the alliance registration period to be extended.

IHEC spokesperson Jumana Alghalai told Rudaw English on Friday that holding elections in June may not be realistic. Only a fraction of eligible voters have updated their electoral records and most of the political entities have not registered yet, she said a day ahead of a registration deadline. 

Members of parliament have also expressed doubt that Iraq’s early elections will take place on time. 

Qasim Fahdawi, the country’s former electricity minister and an MP from the Iraqi Front, a Sunni party in the Iraqi parliament, has accused politicians part of larger blocs of deception in speaking of early elections,

“There haven’t been any preparations for the election set for June. Unfortunately, nobody is talking about it frankly. All the parties are lying,” Fahdawi told Rudaw’s Halkawt Aziz on Saturday.

The electoral commission said in August it would be ready to hold early elections in June provided the government and parliament meet certain demands, including passing a new electoral law and allocating a budget for the vote.

Early elections were one of the demands of protests that began in October 2019 across central and southern Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi asked the IHEC in November to take “all necessary measures” to ensure the elections will be held as scheduled, and should “continuously work to guarantee a successful election.” 

Iraqi President Barham Salih in November officially signed the electoral reforms into law, dividing provinces into smaller voting constituencies for the 2021 election. 

Early elections have wide support among the political parties. All parties in parliament agree that early elections should be held this year, Sabah Talubi, a member of the Sairoon Alliance – the parliament’s biggest political bloc, led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr – told state media on January 8.