ELECTIONS COMMISSION STAFFING UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 004084 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM IZ SUBJECT: ELECTIONS COMMISSION STAFFING UPDATE REF: A. BAGHDAD 3459 ¶B. NEW YORK 919 Classified By: Political Counselor Matthew H. Tueller for Reasons 1.4(b ) and (d). -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Summary: The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has appointed twelve of the twenty Governorate Electoral Officers; however, the CoR remains deadlocked over nominations for the remaining eight positions. While mid- and lower-ranked IHEC employees complain of patronage and nepotism, we have uncovered no evidence of an organized Sadrist infiltration. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kareem Al-Tamimi (Shia) supports UN oversight of the IHEC's staffing and human resources practices. End Summary. -------------- -------------- Twelve Provincial GEOs Appointed; Eight Still Vacant -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) Reftel A outlined the controversy surrounding the on-going appointment of the twenty Governorate Electoral Officers (GEOs) (Note: Baghdad has two, each remaining province has one, and the KRG region has one. End Note). The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) law requires that the Council of Representatives (CoR) nominate a slate of five candidates for each provincial GEO, after which the IHEC selects one of the five. Although the CoR nominated and the IHEC preliminarily selected twelve of the twenty GEOs, the UNAMI-led International Electoral Advisory Team (IEAT) complained in an October 5 letter to First Deputy Speaker Khalid Al-Attiya that "the manner in which candidates were identified by the Council of Representatives was not in conformity with international best practices for a transparent and inclusive process and thus impinges on the independence and impartiality of the IHEC." Specifically, "there were no public advertisements or nomination processes in the governorates for the positions and no systematic sorting or screening of candidates, thus denying all citizens and political parties the opportunity to participate," the letter stated. ¶3. (C) In response to the IEAT letter, CoR First Deputy Speaker Attiya directed the IHEC to suspend the GEO appointment process and to not announce the twelve appointees selected to date. However, since the selection and appointment process is nonetheless in full compliance with the IHEC law, CoR Speaker Mashhadani subsequently sent to the IHEC a letter that overruled First Deputy Speaker Attiya's letter and directed the IHEC to proceed with the appointments. ¶4. (U) In a November 18 ceremony the IHEC announced twelve of the twenty GEOs: - Mr. Ali Qadir Obaid (Kurdistan Regional Office) - Mr. Biar Doski (Dohuk) - Mr. Handren Mohammed Salih (Erbil) - Mr. Taher Mohammed Amin (Sulaymaniyah) - Mr. Farhad Majid Najim Al-Din Al Talabani (Kirkuk) - Mr. Hatim Hathal Abudlhammeed (Salah ad-Din) - Mr. Khalid Rijab Adbulrazzak (Anbar) - Mr. Hussein Abid Ali Khleif (Babel) - Mr. Hasan Kadum Alawan (Qadisiyah) - Mr. Motamad Nima Abdul Mushin (Muthanna) - Mr. Jafar Kadum Jabur (Maysan) - Mr. Ala'a Abd Auda (Dhi Qar) ¶5. (C) Eight of the twelve appointees have some prior electoral experience, and the Dohuk and Kirkuk appointees are the incumbant GEOs. The four appointees that do not have prior electoral experience are Mr. Taher (Sulaymaniyah - no info),Mr. Motamad (Muthanna - a lawyer),Mr. Jafar (Maysan - a law professor),and Mr. Ali (Kurdistan Regional Office - a NGO head). ¶6. (C) The CoR remains deadlocked on the appointment of the remaining eight GEOs. It should come as no surprise that the deadlocks exist in those provinces in which the Kurds and Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (Shia) have the most to lose in a provincial election: Baghdad (2),Basra, Najaf, Karbala, Wasit, Ninewa, and Diyala. Underscoring the violence simmering below the surface, the public affairs chief of the IHEC Basra office was murdered on October 27; according to IHEC Chief of Security Ali Al-Sherify, the murder was in connection with the victim's employment with the IHEC. -------------- Politicization of IHEC Staff Appointments BAGHDAD 00004084 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (C) In Reftel B the UN Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) shared their concerns that the IHEC was being politicized through the manipulation of staff appointments. Specifically, the EAD noted that staff hiring and firing was not being done in a transparent manner and that the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) was a Sadrist who was seeding the IHEC with political appointees. ¶8. (C) In multiple discussions with the mid- and lower-ranked members of the IHEC during the month of November, emboffs have gathered a milder impression of CEO Kareem Al-Tamimi (Shia),who is from the Baghdad Shaab neighborhood of Adhamiyah. Naturally, he has not made statements to emboffs that suggest a political agenda, but neither have IHEC employees complained to us that he has. Kareem is particularly grateful to MNF-I for receiving preferential treatment for a kidney ailment at the International Zone's 28th Combat Surgical Hospital. Kareem's Personal Security Detail (PSD) has family and neighborhood affiliations that are typical of other commissioner PSDs. Kareem has two deputies: Mr. Qasim (technical assistance - Sadr City) and Mr. Mateen (administration and finance - Turkoman). When UNAMI Chief Electoral Advisor Sandra Mitchell challenged the board of commissioners and the CEO for their opaque staff hiring and firing practices, Kareem readily accepted and welcomed UN capacity building and assistance in this area. ¶9. (C) We have also obtained some limited information on the IHEC department heads (also known as the directors general): Public Communications - Abdul Rahman Kahlefa (Kurd) Voter Registration - Ali Hameed Hawi (from Adhamiyah) Capacity Building - Hazim Al Badri (from Rusafa - Palestine Street) Operations Management - Waleed Kkahsid National Security - Mukuram Shaker Finance - Hadi Hassan (from Karadah) Human Resources - Muqdad Al-Sharifi (Shia) Audit - Gahlib Al Wiyah Legal - Hamza Security - Ali Al Sherify -------------- Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) Comment: While IHEC low- and mid-level employees have not complained of organized political infiltration, they have commented on patronage and nepotism (for example, four of CEO Kareem's five brothers are employed by the IHEC's national and local offices). We note that Kareem and the IHEC board have welcomed UNAMI's offer for capacity building and supervision of their human resources and staffing processes, hardly the expected attitude if they are attempting to subvert the organization. IHEC Chairman Faraj Al-Haidari exhibited shrewd political survival skills when he told poloff on November 26 that he will leverage UN involvement to shield the IHEC from attacks by disgruntled CoR members who seek to insert sectarian staff. End Comment. BUTENIS