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IHEC accused of “receiving cash” from
Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani
9.10.2009
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Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq
accused of “receiving cash” from Massoud Barzani,
Kurdistan denies giving allocations to IHEC.
October
9, 2009
ERBIL-Hewlęr,
Kurdistan region 'Iraq', — Faraj Haidari, the head
of the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq
(IHEC) has been accused by of “receiving cash” from
Kurdistan president Massoud Barzani, reported local
media on Tuesday.
Haidari is now being questioned by the Iraqi
parliament to respond to misuse accusations during
the last Kurdistan elections for the parliament and
for the president of Kurdistan.
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Faraj Haidari, Independent High Electoral Commission
of Iraq accused of “receiving cash” from Massoud
Barzani |
Jamal Batikh, a member
of the Iraqi parliament on the al-Iraqiye
parliamentary bloc, told the daily Arabic Sharq
alawsat on Tuesday that one of the evidence that was
revealed in the parliament is that the head of the
Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq received
cash from Massoud Barzani, the president of
Kurdistan and the head of Kurdistan democratic party
KDP,www.ekurd.netby
a member of the Iraqi parliament. This is while,
Batikh added, the IHEC has its own budget. There are
other evidence, Batikh is aware, that in some
districts of Kurdistan during the last elections the
results of the elections were tampered with.
The IHEC is Iraq's electoral commission which should
be an independent power in Iraq, but during the last
Kurdistan elections for the parliament and for the
president strong evidence suggests that the IHEC did
not act independently and worked in favour of
Massoud Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK
and KDP coalitions list. The head of IHEC was called
to the Iraqi parliament to be questioned.
Faraj Haidari, the head of IHEC was formally a high
ranking official in Massoud Barzani’s party KDP and
his appointment to be the head of IHEC was
controversial. Observers believed his appointment
was influenced by both PUK and KDP.
The wide range frauds during the last elections
reflected negatively on public’s perspective of
democracy in general. For example, in Duhok, where
the KDP has a strong control, astonishing 80 percent
of the votes,www.ekurd.neta
very high figure by any international standard went
to Kurdistani List, PUK/KDP coalition. The
equivalent figures for Kurdistani List, in
governorate of Sulaimaniyah was about 35 percent and
in Erbil, where irregularities observed, was about
64 percent.
The election fraud in Duhok can be supported further
by the comparing the percentage of votes Yekgirtui
Islami coalition, Reform and Services List, received
in Duhok. While Duhok governorate is Yekgirtu’s
stronghold, they only received 10 percent of the
votes, while in Sulaimaniyah governorate, where they
are not so strong, they received about 16 percent.
Many Kurdistanis believe that the governorate of
Duhok is compensating for any democracy that other
governorates pursue; this is not reported in the
media outlets, albeit widely debated in private
circles.
Many ordinary Kurdistanis conclude that there is no
point of voting because whatever the public do, the
PUK and KDP forge the results to their own favour.
The appointment of Faraj Haidari was a negative step
for free and fair elections in Kurdistan, because of
Haidari’s own interest in the KDP. A former high
ranking KDP official, who was the head of KDP branch
in Baghdad since 2003, cannot be independent in any
elections.
Kurdistan denies giving
allocations to IHEC
Head of Kurdistan Presidency Office Foad Hussein
denied reports that the Presidency has assigned
financial allocations to the Independent High
Electoral Commission, its President or any official
thereof, under any provision whatsoever, before or
after Parliamentary elections held in July.
Head of IHEC Faraj Haidari denied these allegations
brought forth during Al Haidari’s questioning by a
parliamentary source.
General Director of IHEC Public Communication Abdul
Rahman Khalifa denied as well reports that the
Commission has received any financial allocations
from Kurdistan leader.
Copyright, respective author or news agency,
kurdishmedia com | alsumaria tv |
corrections by ekurd.net
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