Speech of the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, at the end of the public voting on Sunday
Ladies and gentlemen, from the honorable audience
Peace be upon you…
The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), through its current council, since taking over the management of the electoral process; has been sending messages of confidence and reassurance to both the Iraqi people and to the competitors in the elections. Where its first message to the voters was with a clear covenant that the Iraqi votes are a great trust entrusted to us, and they are preserved, and this is what our procedures were confirmed and achieving on the ground, and here you see this on the special polling day yesterday and the general suffrage that expired a while ago.
Today, IHEC sent its second message in clear language to all those concerned with the electoral process, especially the competitors, and to the rest of the other partners from local, Arab and international organizations and institutions, that our institution is transparent and accurate and hide nothing from Iraqi people and media outlets; to the extent that we quickly announced the technical malfunction that occurred in more than one electoral station on Sunday morning, and it was immediately addressed; In continuation of the public disclosure and the adopted confidence, and today we continued the path of confidence, when the stations included in the manual counting and sorting were selected under the law in a direct and explicit expression of transparency in dealing with the aspects and parts of the electoral process.
The Commission is determined to complete a sober and fair electoral process, the conclusion of which will be announcing the final results, which we aspire to gain the satisfaction of the Iraqi people and all the competing candidates.
Special thanks from IHEC to:
– Our employees, the Board of Commissioners, and all the managers for what they have done and strived for in the service of Iraq
– The Supreme Judicial panel, which accompanied the electoral process with judicial committees that spread across Iraq
– The Supreme Security Committee for Elections, headed by its supervisor, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, and the head of the committee, Lieutenant-General Abdul-Amir Al-Shammari
-The Iraqi people who voted and those who did not or couldn’t vote
-Civil society organizations
-The media outlets that interacted and reported with regard to the elections
– Competitors and Candidates
– International organizations, including the United Nations Mission (UNAMI)
-International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)
-The European Union and its parliament members who attended to supervise the elections
– International observers, including those from the United Nations
– Arab League
At the end of this election day, we say that the path to the October elections was very difficult and we faced many complications and challenges. It is almost two years’ efforts to reach what we have reached today, and we only invite you to anticipate the results of the elections, which will be announced in the next hours.
