Jordan Times
Monday, January 24, 2005
Iraqi voter
registration's deadline won't be extended - IOM
By Sahar Aloul with agency dispatches
AMMAN, January 24 - A two-day extension of voter registration for Iraqi
expatriates will not be stretched further despite a low turnout worldwide,
organizers said on Sunday.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) official Peter Erben, who heads
the Out of Country Voting (OCV) program, told a press conference that the
deadline will not be extended because of technical reasons related to rechecking
data and verifying the number of voters at each designated registration and
polling centre.
Erben added that 188,000 Iraqi expatriates in 36 cities around the world
registered for the elections since January 17 — of which 11,000 in Jordan.
The IOM, which is conducting the OCV on behalf of the Independent Electoral
Commission of Iraq, predicted that around a million Iraqi expatriates would
register for the elections.
According to estimations, around 16 per cent of eligible expatriates worldwide
had signed up through Saturday to vote. Of those who have registered, the
biggest turnout of 22 per cent was in Iran.
In Jordan, an estimated 6 per cent of the assessed 200,000 expatriates
registered, while in Syria only 4 per cent of the 500,000 Iraqis residing there
signed up.
“The numbers we mentioned represent what we could accommodate for, but it does
not mean that they will all register,” Erben told reporters, adding that
“elections are a democratic process that gives people the choice to participate
or not.”
Registration organizers on Saturday extended the deadline until Tuesday.
Erben said that the special voting and registering centers in 14 countries will
remain open until 7:00pm to allow as many Iraqis abroad to register.
Analysts and experts said a growing fear of violence or intimidation by
insurgents or “Saddam loyalists” could be the reason behind the low overall
registration.
“Many elections held after conflicts have an element of fear amongst the
electorate and concern about their participation... our job is to produce an
operation which secures the individual,” Erben said.
But he did not express concern over the modest turnout saying: “It is too early
to evaluate how many people would register, we might have significant numbers in
the coming days.”
In order to register, Iraqis have to prove their identity, Iraqi nationality and
must have been born on or before December 31, 1986.
News reports said there was a general sense of apathy for the polls. The
Associated Press said some of the Iraqis waiting in line at registration centers
in Amman refused to be photographed or give their names to reporters. It quoted
many as saying they were afraid that Iraqis who oppose the vote might recognize
them.
Under attempts to assure reluctant voters, the IOM placed posters and flyers in
main squares of Amman, promising all information about voters will be
confidential. It ran large ads detailing the 12 centers in Jordan where Iraqis
can vote.
“We assure [Iraqis] that the security personnel guarding the centers are there
for their safety and they will not be harassed or questioned of their legal
residency status in the country,” head of the Jordan IOM office Lazhar Aloui
said during the conference.
But many remained nonchalant.
One Iraqi residing in Amman said she wasn't interested in voting for a national
assembly that would act under US occupation, adding that she was not aware of
any of the candidates running.
Another Jordanian said his Iraqi wife will not vote for fear of her family's
safety in Iraq.
“My wife's family in Iraq cautioned her from casting her vote after they
received threats warning them that if they or their relatives take part, they
would face considerable harm,” said the man, who preferred not to be named.
Asked whether Israelis of Iraqi origin will be allowed to vote, Erben reiterated
that there would be no discrimination against voters on the basis of religion,
nationality, sect, ethnicity or opinion. He would not confirm if Israelis have
registered indeed.