Jordan Times
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Jordan ready to host main
centre to supervise expatriate Iraqis' vote
By Khalid Dalal
AMMAN — The government on Monday said it was ready to host the main centre for
the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to supervise expatriate
Iraqis' vote.
Government Spokesperson Asma Khader told reporters at her weekly press
conference that Jordan did not receive an official IOM request, but backs all
efforts to hold the Iraqi elections on time.
On Sunday, IOM, the UN body tasked with helping expatriate Iraqis to take part
in the January elections, said Amman has been designated as the main centre for
the organisation to supervise the vote, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Swiss-based IOM has been charged with organising the vote in 14 states:
Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Jordan, the
Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United
States.
Overseas voting will take place between January 28 and 30, with the use of
indelible ink to avoid multiple voting. Iraqis living in other countries will be
eligible to cast their ballots in any of the 14 states. Up to one million Iraqi
citizens living abroad were likely to participate in the polls.
Khader explained that 100,000-120,000 Iraqis currently live in Jordan, but
independent sources estimate the number at 400,000.