Democracy and Elections

Report of Tammuz Organization for Monitoring of Private Voting to election of al-Anbar and Nineveh Province Council on 17th of June.2013

Tammuz Organization for Social Development embarked its observation to election of Anbar and Nineveh province council and completing of the electoral stages with private voting. The Independent High Electoral Commission has opened 106 stations for the private voting of the security forces in whole of provinces, and the total number of those who are entitled to special voting of the security devices are 96 thousand voters, 51thousand in Nineveh, 31 thousand in al-Anbar and 14 thousand distributed among the rest provinces.
Tammuz Organization observed the private voting in provinces on Monday 17th of June 2013 through spreading its volunteer observers in the electoral stations since it opened at seven in the morning until it closed at five in the afternoon, where our observers recorded a number of positive and negative notes as following:

 
The opening stage of centers and stations polling:
1. Ease to find the electoral stations for the private voting

2. There is adequate security protection to the polls and the spreading of security forces
3. The presence of the commission staffs in the electoral centers and stations in the determined time
4. Prepared well by the Independent High Electoral Commission in terms of providing all logistical matters related to elections such as (the registry of voters, ballot papers, ballot box, polling booths and ink) in most of the polling stations in all provinces
5. Open the most electoral stations in the determined time at seven in the morning
6. The opening process took place according to the regulations of the counting of ballot papers through the display of ballot box to sure that it is empty and closing the four locks, and confirm the numbers and distribute the observers of station, this refer to previous training of the commission staff to gain experience.


The Voting Stage:
1. Attendance was weak on the polling stations in whole provinces, and this indicates to a small percentage in the private voting of the defense and interior forces
2. It was noticed the presence agents of political entities during the polling period with a large number in some polling stations, which led to confuse the commission work in these stations.
3. The situation was varying among the provinces, and security breaches have occurred in Anbar and Nineveh resulted in casualties
4. There are different Medias in the polling stations to cover the voting process.
5. Some voters did not found their names in the voters registry that specified to the employees of the security forces, and we expected to happen it because of poor coordinating between the security ministries and the Independent High Electoral Commission
6. There is the electoral propaganda close to many of the polling stations in Anbar and Nineveh
7. Confusion in the voters queue in many of the polling stations
8. It was noted weakness of the presence of local and international observers.
9. Verbal controversy is occurring in more than one polling station in Anbar province.
10. The presence of armed men wearing civilian clothes in some polling stations in Anbar
11. Allowing some voters to vote despite the absence of their names in the voters’ registry.
12. The reports of our observers indicates that the total rate of participating in the elections arrive nearly to 16%, and it is considered a small percentage if we take into consideration the type of voter category.
13. There is no the transportation means to transfer voters to the polling stations which led to decline the participation rate in the rest provinces
14. Closing some stations in the electoral centers before the closing date because of annoyance inside stations

It is worth mentioning that the Tammuz Organization represents one of the basic networks to monitor the electoral processes that have taken place in Iraq since 2005 until now. In this private election of provincial councils the organization previously has to follow up the law amending of election, updating the voters’ register and the process of registration of political entities, coalitions and candidates, and continue to monitor the election campaigns, private voting, media of silence and also universal polling in the 12 provinces where the elections were on 20 April. The organization issued several detailed reports, recommendations and observations from those all stages.
The organization efforts and teams of volunteers’ monitors in preparation of logistical things and technical to success of its functions in monitoring where it included:

1. Updating of the information and observation system for the observers
2. Provide special clothes for observers that carry Organization logo for wearing in all electoral processes.
3. Copy and distribute the observation forms of opening and monitored the polling and form of sorting, the definition of the observer rights and the rules and conduct of referenda and elections monitors.



Tammuz Organization for Social Development
19th June.2013

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