Apologies to the Kurdistan Tribune but for once I have taken the whole article, which I think is a press release anyway. As someone involved in introducing the KDP leadership to the British Electoral Reform Society, who organised the overseeing of the first ever election in Southern Kurdistan, the role of clear transparent elections is an issue close to my heart. The work of the Kurdish Institute for Elections is crucial for the future of Southern Kurdistan and the work they do is frankly outstanding.
In June, the Kurdistan Institute for Elections (KIE) observed leadership elections held by the opposition Gorran party. This was the first time that a south Kurdistan political party had agreed to independent monitoring of its internal election processes. A recent KIE report provides a balance sheet of this experience.
There were three phases of the Gorran elections: of the Leadership Council of the circles of the movement, the Cadres Council Leadership and the District Council leaders. KIE monitors observed all of the voting at 41 voting stations in Kirkuk, Sulaimanyah and Erbil.
The report lists 24 positive outcomes of the process and also some negatives, including the delayed opening of some polling stations, 22 repeated names found in the Penjwen District voters list and the lack of a procedure for when two candidates for one position topped the poll with equal votes.
KIE Report Concerning Change Movement Elections in Sulaimanyah, Erbil and Kirkuk Provinces
The Kurdish Institute for Elections (KIE) is an independent non-governmental organization working towards combining the electoral aspect with the other forms of political participation, and raising the Kurdistan people’s awareness of the principles of democracy. The Institute was formed in 2002 by a group of lawyers in Sulaimani and has monitored many elections in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. For more details: www.kie-ngo.org
This first appeared in the Kurdistan Tribune here
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