EU Election Monitoring Mission: Elections in Iraq Are Historic

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Head of the European Union Election Monitoring Mission in Iraq, Viola von Cramon, described the upcoming elections as historic.

Before concluding her visit to Iraq, she highlighted the importance of the event, emphasizing that preparations are going in full swing and all efforts are in process to ensure the integrity of the voting and the safety of voters.

She added that security is a critical factor, stressing that voters must have confidence that their vote does make a difference.

Cramon maintained that the Mission is concerned with all aspects of the electoral process, including the legal framework, the work of the electoral administration, the campaign activities of candidates and political parties, the behavior of the media, social media, voting, vote counting, and the announcement of results.

Earlier, Cramon, expressed her hope that the parliamentary elections be held "without violence or intimidation", confirming the deployment of 80 observers to supervise the early legislative elections on October 10.

"This is the first time that the European Union deploys an election observation mission in Iraq," von Cramon said during a press conference in the capital, Baghdad.

Von Kramon, who is also a German MEP, encouraged all parties to ensure a peaceful election process, stressing that violence will prevent citizens from casting their votes.

It is noteworthy that last week, the European Union announced sending a team to monitor the Iraqi legislative elections scheduled for the 10th of next month, in response to an invitation from the Iraqi Electoral Commission.