The Independent High Electoral Commission announced postponing the electoral campaigns for the elections of the House of Representatives to April 14, yet, the streets and public squares across Iraq are already filled with posters, pictures and slogans of more than 7,000 candidates.
The Commission has set April 10 as the date for the start of the campaign for the election of the Council of Representatives scheduled for 12 May and the opening of polling stations in 19 countries for Iraqis abroad to vote.
In this context, candidate for the election Hassan Abdulwahed, asked in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat about the goal of this postponement since the campaign was already underway.
Abdulwahed pointed out that “there are many candidates who do not have media staff or political money which they can employ to support their campaign, thus they are bewildered about what is happening."
“People clearly see the amount of money spent on the streets through pictures, posters, and other advertising methods, as well as the buying of votes through the voters' card, as well as the dinners in which millions are spent, at a time when we, who have come to make changes cannot afford carrying out such campaigns,” Abdulwahed said.
MP Kazem al-Sayadi said that a party, which he did not name, has spent about eight million dollars so far on the posters at a time when the electoral campaign has not yet begun. Meanwhile, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki warned of using political money to falsify the electoral process.
“There is a flood of funds that has begun to flow in order to falsify the electoral process and we warn of the tricks made by false media and aimed at failing national figures and leaders of political blocs,” Maliki said during a mass rally in Najaf on Saturday.
He praised the United Nations for signing the document of honor among the partners of the political process, indicating that they are looking forward to a new stage “free of hypocrisy.”
For his part, Official spokesman for Saairun Alliance Dr. Qahtan al-Jabouri stressed in his statement for Asharq Al-Awsat that “political money is unfortunately available for most of the major political blocs and parties that have been dominating the political process since 2003 until today and it usually appears during the period of the political campaigns”.
