Iraq's "State Administration" to Push for Major Election Commission Overhaul

Shafaq News/ Iraq's "State Administration" Coalition, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament, is considering a "major overhaul" in the board of the country's election body ahead of the provincial council election later this year, lawmaker Jassim al-Alawi said on Sunday.

The member of Nouri Al-Maliki's State of Law bloc said that the commission's recent performance, particularly its role in steering the nation towards a political predicament prompted such a move.

"The actions of the High Election Commission in the past have sown seeds of skepticism regarding their operation and begotten allegations of their inclination towards particular political factions to the detriment of others."

"There exists a consensus within the coordinating framework and, more broadly, within the State Administration Coalition, favoring a comprehensive reshuffle within the Commissioner's board," he told Shafaq News Agency, "all these, significantly before the provincial councils' elections are due."

"By instituting these changes, we can carve a path towards ensuring fair elections, averting a repetition of crises, and staving off any potential disruption of the political parties process, the echoes of which were felt profoundly in the aftermath of the last parliamentary elections."