REFERENDUM-RELATED COMPLAINTS NUMBER LESS THAN 100

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 004330 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2015 TAGS: PGOV PTER KDEM IZ SUBJECT: REFERENDUM-RELATED COMPLAINTS NUMBER LESS THAN 100 Classified By: Political Counselor Robert S. Ford for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) UN/EAD legal advisor Jose Aranaz, told Poloff October 19 that the IECI has received approximately 80 complaints about the referendum process, 40 of which are associated with events on referendum day, October ¶15. The remaining 40 complaints are related to the voter registration period and the days leading up to the referendum. Section 4.1 of IECI Regulation No. 5/2005 provides that a complaint or dispute related to the referendum process must be made within three days of the alleged violation. Given this timeframe, the deadline for most complaints based on actions taken on October 15 should have passed. However, because tallying of the votes continues, the deadline for complaints relating to vote counting remains open. ¶2. (C) Aranaz told Poloff on October 19 that there were no complaints that indicated widespread fraud. He cited as examples of complaints: interference by locals, double voting, and voting by unregistered persons. He also provided a rough breakdown of the origin of the forty October 15 related complaints. The highest numbers originated from the provinces of Wasit (11 complaints),Tamim, (11 complaints),and Ninewa (7 complaints). Satterfield