Center for Kirkuk Referendum Operations

The work to prepare for the Kirkuk and Other Disputed Territories Referendum has already begun. Though the date of the plebiscite is yet to be determined, now is the time to commence preparations in earnest. Ideally, the process of observation begins well before the day of the vote. In the short term, observers are tasked with helping to ensure procedural integrity. Negotiations must be followed and analyzed; resource requirements must be determined for the governorates, national government, and international organizations; electoral calendars drawn up; demographics studied; regional opinions solicited and regional implications published; and many of the outstanding questions must be addressed.

There is much work to be done before the quantitative observation and analysis of the vote itself. Our objective throughout is to ensure the integrity and legitimacy of the electoral process. We do this through providing information, guidance, and assistance to intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, and policymakers addressing the Kirkuk Referendum. Please contact us if you would like to join our effort.

For background on electoral observations in Iraq, it is helpful to consult post-observation reports like the one below. This document, authored by Jeff Fischer, is available in its entirety from IFES.

Observations, Complaints, Audits, and Incidents
Observations

The December 15 elections were monitored by 272,295 political entity agents, 126,125 non-partisan observers, and 949 international observers accredited in-country and another 381 observing the out-of-country voting (OCV). Representatives from over 30 countries participated in the international observation program in addition to the 12-member Steering Committee of the International Mission for Iraqi Elections (IMIE) that includes the Association of Central and Eastern European Election Officials (ACEEEO), a regional group with 21 member countries. The domestic observer groups monitored the election in every governorate with a near 100% coverage of polling stations throughout the country. The international monitors were present in Baghdad, Suleymania, Kirkuk, Dohuk, Dyala, and Basra governorates as well as all of the 15 countries where OCV was conducted.

There has been a trend of steady increase in the numbers of observers in each category with each electoral event held in 2005. The table below shows this comparative perspective.

Table II
Election Observation Matrix

As shown above, nearly 400,000 individuals were accredited to monitor these elections, over 99% of whom were Iraqis. The three domestic observer groups whose reports were analyzed were EIN, Tammuz, and Shems. EIN - the largest network of the three involving 100 NGOs - had reported 14,300 observers in 30,669 polling stations. Shems received reports from 3,126 observers. Tammuz has shared only incident reports with the IEAT.

The 850 international observers were divided among the following organizations: IMIE – multinational, National Democratic Institute (NDI) - US, Arabic Center for Independent Judges and Lawyers (ACIJLC) - Egypt, INSAN/Movement for Peace and Disarmament, Next Century Foundation (UK), Norwegian People Aid (NPA), German Valley Organization (WADI), AGEF and the Embassy requested accreditations from Denmark, Canada, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Romania, Sweden, UK, and US. The largest in-country NGO was NDI with 513 accreditations; and the largest Embassy accreditation was from the UK with over 125. The UK Embassy hosted the election monitoring of European Union nationals observing the elections under a loosely organized structure. The smallest non-Embassy presence in-country was that that of IMIE with 3 monitors; and the smallest Embassy presence was that of Japan with one accreditation.
 

See also:
IMIE – Elections Canada
IHEC – Independent High Electoral Commission