MEDIA ADVISORY 

IMIE TO PUBLISH
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENTS OF IRAQI ELECTIONS 

Ottawa – January 26, 2005 – The International Mission for Iraqi Elections (IMIE) (www.imie.ca) intends to publish its first preliminary assessments of the Iraqi elections following the close of polls this week. Preliminary data and findings from sources and resources in and around Iraq, and from electoral experts around the world, are now being gathered, evaluated and reviewed by the Mission's members and advisers around the world.

The IMIE's mandate spans all three Iraqi elections planned for 2005, as provided for in Iraq's March 2004 Transitional Law of Administration. The first vote is on Sunday, January 30, in which Iraqis will elect a Transitional National Assembly, Governorate Councils and the Kurdistan National Assembly. The Transitional National Assembly will draft a constitution and select a transitional government. The second vote – a referendum to approve the constitution developed by the Transitional National Assembly – is scheduled for October 2005. The third vote – full elections based on the adopted constitution – is scheduled for December this year.

The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) and the United Nations (through UN Security Council resolution 1546) encouraged the creation of a multinational mission to follow and assess election preparations, to make and publish informed judgments, and to build electoral capacity and confidence as Iraq's unique process advances. The IMIE was founded for this purpose on December 20, 2004, and has already begun providing assessments to the IECI to help the Commission as it develops its practices.

The IMIE is assembling representatives from independent electoral bodies from around the world to evaluate key components of Iraq's new and evolving electoral processes. This evaluation addresses 11 issues including crucial elements such as legal framework; voter registration; pre-polling complaint procedures; voter information and education; certification of political parties, coalitions and candidates; equitable access to media; electoral preparations; polling; vote counting and compilation of results; post-election complaints; and out-of-country registration and voting. The results of these evaluations will be released as events unfold in Iraq, with the first preliminary assessments to be published following Sunday's voting.

"Our mission is to monitor and report on the three electoral events in Iraq this year, and this will be accomplished to the fullest extent possible in the evolving circumstances," said Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Chair of the IMIE Steering Committee and Canada's Chief Electoral Officer. "A great deal of preparatory work is being done in exceptionally challenging circumstances by Iraq's new Electoral Commission, by electoral staff, by parties and candidates, by many capable non-governmental organizations and by many individual Iraqis. The IMIE is closely evaluating all the rules and procedures pertaining to Sunday's election, as it will do for Iraq's two other electoral events scheduled for later this year. To do so, we are working closely with a wide range of electoral officials, independent observers, political parties and candidates, as well as voters in Iraq."

"Following this first vote, we will provide initial assessments based on first-hand information for most of the 11 elements in our evaluation criteria. For two elements – scrutiny of in-country polling locations and vote counting – our evaluations will be based on reports from electoral participants and staff and the rapidly expanding number of independent domestic observers," explained Mr. Kingsley. "While the IMIE recognises that it would be desirable to have larger numbers of international observers at polling locations throughout Iraq, we respect that the current context dictates that the priority of security forces must be to safeguard Iraqi voters, candidates and electoral staff rather than the additional burden of providing for the security of hundreds or thousands of international observers," he added.

Outside Iraq, the IMIE has already recruited monitors for all registration and voting centres in 13 of the 14 countries participating in the out-of-country registration and voting administered by the International Organization for Migration. The IMIE anticipates that monitors will be in place in all 14 countries before Sunday, and will be providing assessments of activities taking place during registration, display, voting and counting.

After the election, the IMIE will continue collaborating closely with Iraqi electoral officials, parties and candidates to assess resolved and unresolved complaints.

The IMIE's assessments of Iraq's elections are proceeding through several parallel methods, including systematic studies of the electoral framework and preparations; evaluations of information and reports provided by the thousands of non-partisan domestic observers being trained and accredited within Iraq; solicitation of information from party representatives; monitoring of media reports; examination of participation rates; and through surveys of Iraqi citizens. For the subsequent votes later this year, it may also become practical to include visits to polling locations by larger numbers of foreign observers.

The IMIE joins the world community in wishing the Iraqi people well at this crucial time, and that these elections are successful for all concerned.

For further information and updates, visit www.imie.ca.

Iraqi Elections

Key Facts and Figures Regarding Preparations for the January 30 Vote Data and Estimates as collected by IMIE* to January 26

FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
E-mail: media@imie.ca
Tel.: 1-613-993-2225 – available as of 6:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 26, 2005.