Reporting about Supervision of the Day of Media Silence

 Tammuz Organization for Social Development observes the day of media silence that determined by Independent High Electoral Commission in electoral campaigns System No. 7, 2014 which set out in the first article, “the political entities, coalitions and candidates have right to start in their electoral campaigns from the date of approval of the candidates to stop through 24 hours before the time of opening of polling stations, “so the silence will start at seven o’clock on Tuesday, April 29 and the organization deploy teams to observe of media silence in Baghdad and the provinces as well as various visual media, audio-visual control and the rest of the means of communications  

Observation teams refereed to numbers of breaches for the electoral silence in some provinces and they are:

•               Numbers of candidates from different lists have sent messages to the citizens to vote them, and Zain Iraq sent messages to citizens specially in Anbar for serial (17) from Loyalty and Labor Movement (248).

•               Continuing of the electoral propaganda across social networking sites specifically (Facebook) for a number of candidates and electoral lists, including al-Wafa Coalition for Anbar 271 serial 7.

•               A group of cars carry propaganda of Law State Coalition in roaming in Baghdad /Karada with big screens and audios where display Friday speeches with the electoral propaganda; Law State distributes propagandas and bags as a gift for citizens in Kria’at area.

•               Recording a numbers of breaches in Dhi Qar province where al-Ahrar bloc, al-Watanyia, the National Loyalty Bloc and Iraq Coalition distribute the electoral cards and roaming in streets with audio, and they also distribute propaganda on houses in al-Tadhiya, Fida’a, Shuhada and salhyia areas and Shyook market. 

•               It has been distributed the electoral propagandas of al-Fadila and Nukhab Coalition and roaming with cars carry pictures of the candidate Hassan al-Shimary in the city center.

•               Mentoring a numbers of breaches in al-Basra where it was witnessed cars carry Iraqi flags with the electoral propaganda and audio of al-Ahrar bloc and al-Iraqi al-Badel Coalition, and they also distributes propagandas of candidates in areas (al-Toysa, al-Madina and al-Karma).

•               Tribes Sheikhs distribute the electoral propagandas of al-Ahrar bloc and al-Muatin Coalition in al-Zubair area. 

•               It has been controlled a numbers of breaches in the Day of Media Silence in Mousl as distributing propaganda of al-Mutahedon List for serial (52) in al-Rashidiya Quba area, and the same list also distributed propaganda for candidates number (57, 40, 19 &60) in Hai al-Arabi area.

•               The security breaches in Najaf as distributing propagandas of Law State Coalition in the city center, and al-Muatin Coalition distributes the electoral propagandas for candidate number 19.

•               The private electronic messages through facebook from candidates to their friends to emphasize to vote them, and also messages by mobile to vote candidates from Civil Alliance (232), al-Muatin Bloc (273) and al-Iraq Coalition.

•               The electoral propagandas and parties’ flags pasted on ambulant cars in Erbil, Sulymaniya and Dohuk and contain numbers of Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Movement for Change and the Islamic Union of Kurdistan.   

•               The number of TV channels of the competing parties in the elections to re-display propaganda programs on the pretext re-focus on the songs and news related to the activities of the leaders of these parties, whether government or parliamentarians.

•               Marches of cars in Baghdad province / Sadr City promoted to al-Ahrar List.

•               Distribution of bonds in Baghdad province / Hai Nasser area by one of the candidates.

It is worth mentioning that Tammuz Organization for Social Development continues in monitored elections of Iraqi parliament and complement the stages of the electoral process with the start of the first election stage is a special voting and now Media Silence after the organization observed the amending process of the election law, updating the voters’ register, the process of registration of political entities, coalitions and candidates and continuing in observation of the electoral campaigns that started in April. 1st and end in April. 29th 2014; the organization also issued several reports, recommendations and notes about the previous electoral, and will distribute reports about the polling through the ballot day on an ongoing all stages of the opening, the ballot, closing and counting as well as monitor the counting process, sub-sorting and deploy reports about it.

Tammuz Organization for Social Development

April. 29th 2014