On Thursday, September 30, 2021, the President of the Republic of Iraq, Barham Salih met with a number of Iraqi Journalists and writers. The meeting took place at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad.
President Salih spoke about politics, electoral issues and recent developments related-matters in Iraq.
The Iraqi President emphasized that the upcoming election would be important for the country's future, and it is of utmost importance for several considerations, and most notably included the elections would be held after the Iraqis from all walk of life took to the streets demanding reforms, and there was broad national consensus on the need to remedy the situations in the country and to put an end to the situation.
Therefore, the forthcoming election was not an end to the goal itself, but it must be the peaceful track to make the reforms and express the will of the people.
Furthermore, he said that creating optimal conditions and guaranteeing the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and fairness in all the stages of the ballot is an urgent need, and compromise shouldn't be made there in order to restore people's confidence in the local ballot and ensure large-turnout at the country's next federal elections.
Meanwhile, electoral process must be carefully managed with due regard to the Iraqis' right as they are the source of all power, he added, and government inaction that occurred and cast doubt upon the previous elections must be addressed.
Moreover, President Salih emphasized the important role and the big responsibility that have been entrusted on the media outlets and top journalists and writers on the need to enhance the transparency and credibility of the elections and the oversight as well.
There is an important role played by them in the political process and in addressing the shortcoming measures of the government as well as in educating the public opinion, he underlined.
Additionally, His Excellency Salih underscored that upcoming elections would be organized through a new electoral law that is more representative and more equitable than previous law.
Even though that is not all what we are all striving for, he continued, a new electoral commission was established, and the EU Electoral Observation Mission and International Observers, local monitoring networks and media outlets would observe the elections.
The Iraqi President highlighted that our national project is to build a strong, and sovereign State that is able to protect its citizens and provide their needs and requirements and secure the future of the generation to come through promoting economic growth and developments.