On a misleading statement attributed to IHEC claiming UN involvement in the procurement of electronic ballot boxes
Baghdad, 12 March 2017 – The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) seeks to rectify an inaccurate statement attributed to one of the Commissioners of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), as quoted in the Al Mada newspaper on 18 February 2017, claiming that UNAMI is part of a committee together with IHEC and Baghdad University that reviewed and nominated companies for the procurement of electronic ballot boxes. UNAMI wishes to emphasize that it is not part of such a committee, nor has it been involved in the nomination of companies participating in IHEC electronic ballot boxes’ procurement. This is a process that UNAMI considers to be in the sole remit of IHEC as an Iraqi institution, and it is expected to implement any procurement in accordance with Iraq’s own procurement regulations.
Pursuant to its UN Security Council mandate, UNAMI provides advice and technical assistance to the government of Iraq and the IHEC in developing processes for organizing elections. In extending such support, UNAMI adheres to established UN guiding principles, including national sovereignty and ownership. UNAMI also continues to encourage IHEC, by way of several advisories, to consider appropriate, sustainable, and cost effective criteria when deciding on election technologies.
UNAMI also takes this opportunity to register that certain members of parliamentary committees, including those tasked to select the next IHEC Board of Commissioners, have made pronouncements claiming UN's advice is being taken onboard in their discussions. UNAMI would like to clarify that, to date, UNAMI has not been formally invited by the Council of Representatives (CoR) to be part of this committee and, as such, have not attended any of the committee’s meetings.