Interview with the vice-president of the Higher Independent Election Commission (HIEC), Farid Ayar

Farid Ayar, HIEC vice-president, is responsbile for public relations for the forthcoming Iraqi elections on 30 January. Surrounded by election brochures in an office in Baghdad, he spoke to IRIN in the Iraqi capital about preparations for the historic poll, addressing security issues and voting plans. QUESTION: Atacks by insurgents are on the rise and police are handing in their resignations. In these circumstances how are you going to ensure security at this critical time? ANSWER: We have asked the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior to provide special security on election day. They have told us that they will increase police [presence] and give special training for policemen and the national guard on election security. Each one [policeman] has his own reason for leaving the job and even if policemen are resigning, the ministry will offer the same security. US troops will also give special support to them. Q: How many candidates and lists have been offered for the elections? A: There will be three ballots for each person. The first one will list 111 candidates, including either parties or individual candidates, for the National Assembly, which will be made up of 275 parliamentarians. The second one will contain 11 lists for the Kurdistan National Assembly and the last one will have nearly 100 lists for the Governorate Council [which allocates seats to the governorates]. This number also includes the Sunni parties who have left the election but their names won't be taken out by the electoral commission. Q: How many people do you expect to vote on election day? A: We have calculated that Iraq has approximately 14 million voters and we are expecting that nearly 7 million will vote on the day. Maybe it looks a small number, but in Europe consider that if you have 40 percent of votes it's a legal election. We will do the same. Q: Who will be responsible for counting votes after the poll? A: The main responsibility for the election procedures and auditing will be taken by the electoral commission. Five UN staff have helped us with information and training; they have offered great assistance and will be present at the ballot counting on the day. We have trained our staff and we are sure that it will mean quick vote counting, but what may delay the results will be the votes from outside the country. Fourteen countries will offer ballots for Iraqis who are living outside Iraq. Q: In the Sunni triangle, where the security situation is critical, how will the elections be held? A: Well, as we know, thousands of families have returned to Fallujah where we will provide election stations and for those still camped outside the city, in places like Habanya and Saklauya we will have temporary places to vote. This will guarantee that no one can have the excuse of not having a place to vote. Security has improved in the area that will be facilitated more by the US Coalition forces present there on the election day. People from Mosul and Ambar provinces will have until the day of the election to register their names for the ballot. Q: Originally 12 seats in the assembly were to be allocated to Sunnis but no this has changed and there now won't be a specific division of seats, but Sunnis appear to be against this decision. How will you proceed on this issue? A: There are no divisions between Sunni or Shia. We will offer seats at the National Assembly for all Iraqis without any differences. Most of those people still behave in a way as if Saddam Hussein is coming back to this country, I know it's foolish but they are losing time to be part of Iraq's future. Those who receive the most votes will be the ones who will fill the seats at the National Assembly. Q: How will the new Iraqi president be choosen? A: The future Iraqi president, as well as two vice-presidents, will be choosen by the National Assembly. It will be their first decision as they sit together on their chairs. Q: How will the election work in the north of Iraq? A: From north to south, the electoral commission will be responsible for controllling the election under the federal government of Baghdad. It's a country without differences between Kurds or Arabs. The same nation for all Iraqis. Q: Ration cards are being sold, according to some families, in relation to political parties. How will you guarantee that there won't be any vote-buying? A: We have received some information suggesting that. Citizens who are going to vote will have to take their personal Iraqi identity cards with them and not their ration cards as was announced before. This will make it impossible for voter fraud to take place. Q: There are rumours that people have been told at food rations distribution centres that if they don't go to vote they will not receive their food rations in 2005. Is that true? A: It's a democracy; we won't do that, but if there are people forcing others to vote it's something out from our hands. Maybe they are doing that to persuade people to vote. Q: Elections will happen in two weeks, but there has been little publicity so far and people say they don't know their candidates. What are you doing about this issue? A: Since 15 December last year parties have been able to promote themselves. If they haven't done it yet it's not our problem, we don't want to involve ourselves in this issue and add problems to ours. We cannot do it. Q: Don't you believe that because it's new for them, they need help from the commission? A: Well, they have been informed about what they have to do. I understand that it's a very short period for a huge democratic election but we cannot insist more and they have to make their own way. Some independent groups are doing a very good job, going down to the streets and giving incentive to people to vote in the election day, I think the parties should do the same. Q: Do you believe that this election could improve the security situation in the country? A: It should. How can we guarantee that security will improve without elections? Any delay of elections can only make things worse and when the insurgents see that there is an improvement in the country after it, they will think twice before attacking wrong places or innocent people. Iraqis will be surprised about the changes that this election can bring for the country. They will start to feel more secure because they will have elcted their own represenatives, it's a good beginning for a country which hasn't seen democracy for many years.