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