Ex-Iranian Envoy Upbeat about Iraq’s Upcoming Parliamentary Elections
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former Iranian ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi Qomi hailed the current political situation in the Arab country and predicted that the upcoming parliamentary vote would be “more competitive” than previous elections.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Kazemi Qomi pointed to Iraq’s parliamentary elections, due to be held on May 12, and said the country is going to stage the vote at a time when the Baghdad government’s rule has stretched all over the country.
“The elections will be held in the post-Daesh atmosphere and after the defeat of terrorist groups,” he said, adding that the will of the Iraqi people and government thwarted their enemies’ plots.
He further pointed to the failure of the US-Israeli plot in Iraq’s Kurdistan region and said the upcoming parliamentary vote will be held following the independence referendum of the separatists in Kurdistan, after which the Baghdad government managed to recapture some areas that had fallen under Kurdistan Regional Government control.
The defeat of separatists proves that the central government in Iraq is an elected one that has become more powerful now, he added.
The former Iranian diplomat went on to say that the upcoming vote in the Arab country is expected to be more competitive compared to the previous ones.
Iraq’s parliament has recently approved May 12 as the date for holding national elections despite calls to delay the vote until the return of nearly 3 million people displaced by the fight against Daesh.
The over three-year-old fight against Daesh has left most of the areas in northern and western Iraq in ruins, and poor public services have exacerbated the situation.
The elections will be the fourth since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
