Tammuz Organization issues its latter report about observation of choose (Board of Commissioners) for Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq

Tammuz Organization for Social Development continues its observation to choose the board of commissioners for Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq through attending the meeting of the parliamentary committee in charge of the selection of 60 candidates, and submit to the House of Representatives, which will select nine new members to the Board of Commissioners of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq.
Our organization was invited by Mr.Ali al-Alaq the chairman of the parliamentary committee and the official spokesman of meeting which was held in the headquarter of committee in House of Representatives building, attending a number of civil society organizations and envoy of the UN mission in Iraq on Saturday 07-01-2012.
The secretary of Tammuz Organization, Ali al-Dijili, participated in the meeting and thanked Mr.Ali al-Alaq for inviting civil society organizations so as promote a genuine partnership with civil society organizations in this task, and gives transparency to the work of the commission, and it can also benefit from the accumulated experience of civil society organizations, and the estimated Committee’s role and the importance of its work in the selection of a new board for the election commission.
Ali al-Alaq said that forming committee is because the end of the term of the current Board of Commissioners will be on April 28, 2012 According to the Independent Electoral Commission Act No. 11 of 2007, which the authorizes House of Representatives to the formation of a committee of members of parliament to choose the Board of Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission in Iraq, and based on that it was formed committee consisting of 21 members representing the various lists and benefits according to the competence of blocks in the House of Representatives.

The committee started putting the work plan and the name must be submitted to the House of Representative in early of March 2012, it is as following:
 
The first stage: the advertising of presentation dates and sort forms as following:
1-It was declared the date of offering for the position of Board Commissioners member during the period 20/10/2011
2-During the declaration date it was designed and prepared the form with help the US mission in Iraq, but the final decision to approval on the application has been by the committee through a majority vote
3-Then it has been put the application on website of House of Representative and start receiving nomination forms from the website of the Council exclusively, where it was receiving 7359 forms during the specified period of announcement, and it has also been receiving more than 300 forms before and after the planned period for submission.
4- It has been formed the sub-committees composed of three members, and it was taking into account the representation of the blocks in these committees also, and these committees are sorting forms and determine acceptable and non-acceptable one, where was formed seven committees and each committee are sorted approximately 1000 form, and was emphasized on the need to includes the sub-committee’s decision and signatures three members of the Committee either acceptance or rejection on each form.
5-Concerning for the applications which has received before and after the planned date of submission more than 300 form, where it was discussed this issue in committee and voted to accept the forms arriving during the advertising period and rejected the forms sent after the end of the specified period, were distributed forms that have been received before 20/10 / 2012.
6- After complete the sort of all forms, it will be announced the results and know the number accepted.

The difficulties that have been faced the first stage:
After we notified on the number of forms that have been accepted and a number of forms that have been rejected and the number of models under consideration, and this shows the seriousness of the Commission’s work in the sort of forms and audited and certainly accompanied this process many difficulties can be summarized in the following points:


1.    The submit of forms was before and after the prescribed period, therefore the committee decided to accept the forms, which submit before the planned period because they are sending their forms after the announcement of the committee. Either the forms, which arrived after the end of the planned period, have refused because it exceeded the prescribed period and is also due to delay that indicates a lack of care, and responsibility.



2.    Forms differ from the form prepared by the Commission: it reached forms to the Committee differs in terms of design, but it contains most of the information requested and was accepted because it arrived to the Committee during the advertising period and before the official form in the House of Representatives site, and contact them to complete the requested information; either the forms that reached us differently and during the application period at a time when the official form, which is available on the site, has been neglected.
3.    The presence of incomplete information in the forms especially important information such as belonging to the Baath Party or the security services or not remembers scholastic achievement, and the Committee has found that those have concealed the important information specified by law.
4.    Find duplicate forms: where it was found that some persons have sent form more than one time. The committee said it is necessary to pay attention to repeat the names and write on the form (duplicate) perhaps the weakness of the Internet or they send it more than one time to ensure arrival of the form shall.
5.    Some forms did not contained on date of birth. The law has identified the minimum age of the candidate 35 years, the Commission has determined to accept candidates from the date of 20-10-1948 until 20-10-1976, where the Committee considered the age of the employee 63 years, so we consider the maximum of the born is in 1948 and thus age will be limited between (20.10.1948 and 20.10.1976), while in the absence of the date of births or mention the year does not mention the day the committee put solutions to be no injustice applicants, as follows:
-If the applicants have stated number of identify, registry or the Iraqi nationality certificate we will cal the concerned office and demand to send us the correct birth information or can call the applicant to confirm their date of birth, but in case of absence of any information will ignore that form. As the Committee received forms containing born outside the specified age 35 and these has been neglected.
6- The same for the place of permanent residence for applicants, as well as a bachelor’s degree, where the law requires that the residence of applicants permanently in Iraq and have a college degree of Iraqi university or its equivalent, where we have received forms but do not have permanent residence address or is not mentioned if the certificate was approved in the Ministry of Higher Education or not, this just for candidates who get certificates from universities aboard Iraq.



The second stage: this phase involves a comparison among the accepted after the completion of the sort process, and will be done through the preparation of a comparison form. The United Nations Mission in Iraq prepares a draft of a comparison form and will be discussed in detail and the amendment by the Committee and will also prepare the final form by the committee and approval by voting. Regard to the terms of comparison Article 3 of Commission Act has indicated the Board of Commissioners consist of the nine members two of them of legal at least chosen by the House of Representatives after nominated (a committee of the House of Representatives) and they must be with experience, competence, integrity and independence, taking into account the representation of women, the candidate for the House of Representatives must provide the following:

1-    He must be Iraqi and has a permanent residence in Iraq
2-    He must have priority University certificate at least
3-    His age must not be less than 35 years
4-    He must be a good conduct
5-    He must be qualified and experienced in the field of administrative work
6-    He must be independent from the political side
7-    He should not be include by the law or of the Baath deracination enriched public money or has committed a crime against the people or affiliated repressive apparatus
8-    He must not be condemned a crime involving moral turpitude.

As a result and according to the law, the form of comparison must include persons who have the above conditions, and this was not confirmed by the parliamentary committee in charge. 
To ensure the highest standards and most justice, a representative of the Tammuz Organization arrives a number of written proposals are as follows:
1.    Cancel the forms of applicants who have been nominated for the parliamentary elections and the parties, in order to ensure the independence of the members who will be selected and confirmed by the law
2.    Inclusion all colleges with points and preference colleges with required competencies higher points such as graduates of political science, management and law, but the law affirmed a bachelor’s degree without neglect the rest of the college.
3.    Addition the researcher and studies such as comparison among applicants
4.    Addition  the comparison degree for applicants, who have good experience in using of computer, internet, a number of the important program at work, English Language & good utterance in Arabic language.
5.    Adoption service years to the comparison in addition to functional class
6.    Emphasize that the comparison points for technical expertise of the computer or languages, research, studies, and other through form.
7.    Applicants must have the experience and ability to speak to the media.


After preparation of the final form and approved by the Commission, will be nominated to candidates at this stage to the third phase which is conducting direct interviews with those who have been favored by the law and by comparison form, and this is the final stage where they will nominate 60 persons with their forms to the House of Representatives to be including at least two of the legal and qualified and experienced in the field of administrative work, and must take into account the representation of women and that they met the rest of the conditions set by the independent Electoral Commission Act in Iraq.
 
        The final notes for report:
1-Work of the Commission is in a positive way and there is accepting the views and constructive debate serves the work, and all decisions are taken direct vote inside of the Commission.
2-The work of committee specified period of time that requires constant attendance and full-time for the Commission’s work, but there are some obstacles most important official parliamentary holiday (15 days), and the preoccupation a number of members of the House of Representatives in the work of their committees as well as the weekly holiday, and the Iraqi List do not attend the meetings of the Council, and this delays the work of the Commission especially the counting process and differentiation requires time to accomplish this task to the fullest, and it was took the decision that members of the Commission not attend the parliament sessions  except on Thursday as a voting session on the laws based on Mr. Chairman of the Committee Ali Ala’aq.
The decision was made to replace the member who did not attend the final or absent for three consecutive sessions and inform the bloc to replaced member of another, and MP Salim al-Jubouri was not attendance the meetings of the Committee and that impact on the work of the Sub-Committee, and therefore will submit a request to the Presidency to replace with another Deputy of the same menu.
3- Differentiation process requires technical staff and the Committee demanded of the Presidency of the Parliament for the purpose of the placement of a number of Council staff in order to assist the Committee in its work, and we hope that does not take a long time in order not to affect the work of the Commission in the differentiation stage.
4- As for applicants will inform you non-acceptance and will determine after the period of time for receipt of forms and the Commission will determine the time period later.
5-Some forms did not sign by the committee and was emphasized that the form contains all the signatures of members of the Subcommittee, whether to represent the Commission’s decision with acceptance or rejection.
6-It will be put results for each the sub-committee in accordance form prepared by the MP Hanan al-Fatlawi after the vote by the Committee, and the form contains the full name, as a result of acceptance or rejection, sex and province.

Regard to preliminary results of the sorting was as follows:
– First Sub-Committee: (1002) forms, (505 accepted), (405 rejected) and (92 under consideration for certification audit.
-Second Sub-Committee: (1009) forms, (627 accepted), (382 rejected)
-Third Sub-Committee: (1000) forms, completed so far 400 form (162accepted), will complete the rest sorting (600)
-Fourth Sub-Committee: (1000) forms and it was sorting (861) forms (430 accepted) and (301 rejected) and (130) under consideration.
Other committees sorted and put the results on forms, but they did not count the results.
We would point out that preliminary result is nearly 1727 applicants and accepted 3180 of them and initially been counted their forms, and this shows that more than half of the applicants will be accepted initially in the first phase and we will be watching the differentiation process to choose 60 candidates among more than half of the applicants approximately.
It is worth mentioning that Tammuz Organization for Social Development observed all electoral processes and referenda that have occurred in Iraq since 2005 with all its stages,

Tammuz Organization for Social Development
25/1/2012