Iraq: top UN envoy voices hope that list of Baghdad governorate candidates can be agreed upon

The top United Nations envoy to Iraq today expressed hope that an agreement can be reached in the Council of Representatives on the list of candidates for the Baghdad governorate election offices (GEOs) for the upcoming elections.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative Staffan de Mistura welcomed the submission of names of candidates for the position of Director of the GEOs by the Council to the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC), an independent electoral authority consisting of nine members.

Noting that body has yet to receive the list of candidates for the Baghdad offices from the Council, Mr. de Mistura - who also heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) - said that "there is a need to finalize the selection process to enable IHEC to start planning for for voter registration."

Due to the recent unrest in Baghdad, the deadline for the submissions has been extended.

The Special Representative said that to move the process forward, UNAMI will forward its recommendations directly to the IHEC, which in turn will slecting acting Directors for the two Baghdad GEOs, pending a final decisions by the Council.

The IHEC is scheculed to begin interviewing the listed candidates on 27 April. After the selection process is finalized and the 7-day period to contest reuslts is over, it will announce the names of selected GEO Directors.

UNAMI has finished intervieiwing candidates for the Ninewa GEO, and intends to submit its recommendations to the Council shortly.

In his latest quarterly report on UNAMI to the Security Council made public yesterday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wote that the holding of credible governorate elections later this year could in the long run serve to underpin the legitimacy of democratic governance, calling on the Council of Representatives to "urgently pass a governorate elections law" to conduct the elections as smoothly and as fairly as possible.