Jordan Times
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Iraqi election body invites
NGOs to monitor Jordan-hosted poll
By Taylor Luck
AMMAN - Iraqi election authorities on Tuesday urged international organisations
and political groups to register to monitor the upcoming parliamentary
elections.
In a press conference yesterday, the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission
(IHEC) urged Iraqi political groups, international organisations and journalists
to register to monitor out-of-country voting in the Kingdom, slated for March
5-7.
Individuals and groups have until Sunday, February 28, to register with the IHEC
to monitor the polls and be present at election centres and stations.
“We still do not have many registered and we hope all who are interested to
oversee the process come, and our doors are always open,” the IHEC Jordan office
head, Nihad Zaynal, told The Jordan Times.
According to the commission, each political entity or grouping has the right to
send one monitor to every polling station. With 16 centres across four
governorates in the Kingdom - 11 in Amman, two in Zarqa, two in Irbid and one in
Madaba - there will be 150 polling stations in various neighbourhoods with
concentrated Iraqi populations.
Also yesterday, the commission began a nationwide awareness campaign in the
Kingdom’s newspapers, detailing the registration and voting process for Iraqis
in Jordan.
The commission has begun advertising in Al Rai daily, and will continue to place
advertisements in other Arabic dailies and on television networks to target
Iraqis, IHEC Media Officer Fares Ali told The Jordan Times yesterday.
“Iraqis have the right to vote and the right to know where to vote,” Ali
stressed.
Iraqi political entities also face a deadline of February 28 if they are
interested in placing advertisements in the local press, he added.
Over 1,000 Iraqis will be enlisted by the IHEC to man the polling stations. The
commission has interviewed 1,800 applicants, and those selected to work at the
stations will go through extensive training, according to officials.
On election day, Jordanian authorities will provide security outside the centres,
while the stations and centres themselves will be provided with security
arranged by the IHEC and the Iraqi embassy in Amman, according to commission
officials.
Several systems are in place to prevent voter fraud and tampering with ballot
boxes, which will not be moved until the end of polling on the evening of March
7, Zaynal stressed. Polling stations will be open from 7:00am-6:00pm, and will
send the results electronically to the out-of-country voting centre in Erbil.
Around 180,000-200,000 eligible Iraqi voters reside in the Kingdom, according to
various official estimates.
Those with further questions or interested in registering as vote monitors can
reach the commission’s Amman office at 065543835 or at 0797233386 or via e-mail
at oj.media@yahoo.com.