Iraq’s electoral commission will appeal parliament's decision
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s electoral commission announced its intention to appeal the parliamentary decision that suspended the body after widespread reports of voter fraud.
The commission said on Thursday it will “use its constitutional and legal right to appeal” the parliament’s decision to amend the country’s electoral law, claiming that the new law contains “a number of violations… that aren’t compatible with the constitution” or the commission’s own bylaws.
Parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that ordered a full manual recount of all votes cast in the May 12 parliamentary election, canceled votes of IDPs, the diaspora, and Kurdistan Region’s security personnel, and suspended the electoral body, replacing commissioners with nine judges.
Iraq’s High Judiciary Council has approved parliament’s amendment to the law and announced on Thursday they will begin the process of selecting judges to replace the commissioners.
The public prosecutor and head of the judicial board have been dispatched to the commission’s office in Baghdad as the judicial council begins its investigation, spokesperson Judge Abdulstar Bayreqdar told reporters on Thursday.
The electoral commission denied there was any misconduct on their part and expressed readiness to cooperate with the judicial council, adding that they are not opposed to a manual recount, if the necessary legal grounds are met.
“The commissioner’s council undertook its official duty professionally and transparently and didn’t allow any side to interfere or influence the core of its decisions,” the commission stated.
The commission said on Thursday it will “use its constitutional and legal right to appeal” the parliament’s decision to amend the country’s electoral law, claiming that the new law contains “a number of violations… that aren’t compatible with the constitution” or the commission’s own bylaws.
Parliament passed a bill on Wednesday that ordered a full manual recount of all votes cast in the May 12 parliamentary election, canceled votes of IDPs, the diaspora, and Kurdistan Region’s security personnel, and suspended the electoral body, replacing commissioners with nine judges.
Iraq’s High Judiciary Council has approved parliament’s amendment to the law and announced on Thursday they will begin the process of selecting judges to replace the commissioners.
The public prosecutor and head of the judicial board have been dispatched to the commission’s office in Baghdad as the judicial council begins its investigation, spokesperson Judge Abdulstar Bayreqdar told reporters on Thursday.
The electoral commission denied there was any misconduct on their part and expressed readiness to cooperate with the judicial council, adding that they are not opposed to a manual recount, if the necessary legal grounds are met.
“The commissioner’s council undertook its official duty professionally and transparently and didn’t allow any side to interfere or influence the core of its decisions,” the commission stated.