al-Hakim emphasizes on holding Iraqi parliamentary elections on its specified date

Rasa – The head of the Iraqi National Coalition praised the bravery and devotion of the country’s army and Popular Mobilization Forces in its fight against the Daesh terrorist movement.

News ID: 435690

Date: 10 January 2018 - 14:09

RNA – In a meeting with Aras Habib, an Iraqi political figure, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the National Iraqi Alliance, emphasized the need to hold the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections on their previously scheduled date.

The senior Iraqi cleric emphasized on the need to maintain political and national unity, adding that the future Iraqi government must be trusted and accepted by the people.

He called for the preservation of the achievements made the Iraqi army and Popular Mobilization Forces in the fight against the Daesh terrorist movement and stated, “These victories should be realized in various fields as well.”

Hujjat al-Islam al-Hakim also discussed the latest Iraqi security and political developments during a meeting with the head of the United Nations Mission, in Iraq, Jan Kobitch.

He rejected any requests and attempts to delay the elections, saying that holding elections on a specified date is a guarantee of the preservation of democracy in Iraq.

The head of the National Iraqi Alliance said, “Officials and peoples must use all their capabilities and capacities to hold the elections and we hope that we will see the widespread participation of the people in this election.”

He emphasized that dialogue and attention to the constitution of Iraq are the only solutions to the end of the Kurdistan Region’s problems and disputes.

While Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi, Nouri al-Maliki, one of Iraq’s vice presidents and a number of other Iraqi political figures, call for elections to be held in due course on May 12, some political parties oppose this and call for the postponement of the elections for another six months.

Iraq’s 2018 parliamentary and provincial elections will be held on May 12, just prior to the start of the holy month of Ramadan.

al-Abadi’s prime ministership is set to expire this year when the new parliament may or may not choose to re-appoint him.

Provincial elections originally scheduled for September were postponed as many areas of Iraq continued to be in strife because of the Daesh war.

Sunni parties have asked for elections to again be delayed until situations in their areas normalize.

Iraq’s last parliamentary elections were held in 2014 and saw the ruling Shi’ah National Alliance form a coalition government with Kurdish and Sunni parties.

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