The Assyrian Democratic Organization
While actively supporting the January elections and the Iraqi process of democratization in general, the ChaldoAssyrian Syriac demonstration outside the European Parliament is to demonstrate our solidarity and support for the tens of thousands of voters from ChaldoAssyrian cities and villages in the Nineveh plains around Mosul, namely Baghdeda, Karemlesh, Bartilla, Bashiqa, Bahzan and Ain Sifne (Shekhan). The ChaldoAssyrians in these areas patiently waited throughout the Election Day on January 30 outside the polling stations, unfortunately they were unable to exercise their newly found democratic voting right as the election officials and material (ballot boxes, ballot papers and ink) never turned up.
Despite the numerous official detailed requests and protests issued by political parties and their candidates to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) and to the regional authorities, and despite the assurances and promises made by the IECI, it is extremely disappointing to note that a satisfactory conclusion to this critical matter never materialised. Although ballot boxes were eventually delivered, very late, on the day of the elections, election officials never showed up and in many other areas where voting did take place, there was a serious shortage of ballot papers, thus the vast majority of ChaldoAssyrians in areas where voting did take place were unable to vote.
Deprived of their civil rights, ChaldoAssyrian Syriac voters on the same day took to the streets of these towns and villages and last Sunday in
The “exclusion” has not only affected tens of thousands of ChaldoAssyrians Syriac voters but also thousands of Yezidis, Shabaks, and Turkmen voters. Other violations took place in the Sanjar and Telkaif districts, this happened in the Northern Iraqi district which was under Kurdish jurisdiction as far as the elections were concerned.
Since then, the different parties in charge of the organisation and follow-up of the elections, be they the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI), the two main Kurdish parties, the Interim Iraqi Government or the Coalition Forces, have all denied and rejected responsibility of the discriminatory voting injustices perpetrated against the ChaldoAssyrian Syriacs in the Nineveh Plains.
The declaration (n° 15) issued by an investigative delegation of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) on Monday February 7, who were sent to the area concerned confirmed the transgressions and the violations of the electoral law and concluded: “the Commission will examine all transgressions hereby mentioned, will separately take measures necessary for each irregularity and will inform the Iraqi opinion of the results of these investigations as quickly as possible”. To return to the Greek calends – as much to say never!
This prevention of voting rights in the Nineveh Plains populated mainly by ChaldoAssyrian Syriac people aims at the exclusion of any possible, free and independent representation of this area in the coming Iraqi National Assembly and Northern Parliament.
The Nineveh Plains represents to the majority of the ChaldoAssyrian political parties, within the framework of a federal
The exclusion has deeply shocked the ChaldoAssyrian Syriac communities throughout the world and has tarnished, at the very first hurdle, what was hailed to be the birth of democracy in
We invite all Iraqis in
We call upon the European Union to immediately address this critical issue in order to exert pressure upon the authorities concerned to rectify the injustice so that all Iraqi citizens “excluded from the practice of their citizenship” can exercise their voting rights.
For more information and developments visit the following sites:
http://www.aina.org
http://www.ankawa.com
http://www.zahrira.net>
http://www.zindamagazine.com
http://www.ado-world.com
Iraqi Elections Support and Follow-up Committee
