Al-Monitor: The United Nations is mediating between the political parties to resolve the election re

[size=52]Al-Monitor: The United Nations is mediating between the political parties to resolve the election results crisis[/size]

[size=45]Translation / Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert, attended Thursday evening, November 18, a meeting of the Coordination Framework Forces, which includes most of the political parties that lost in the elections, in an effort to resolve the crisis that erupted in the political arena following the announcement of the election results and accelerating the formation of Government.[/size]
[size=45]Blackshart also met during the past few days with the leaders of those political blocs that lost in the early Iraqi elections. These meetings raised a lot of questions, especially since these parties have blamed them on the UNAMI for causing what they called “rigged election results.”[/size]
[size=45]On November 15, the United Nations Special Envoy met the leader of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq movement, Qais Khazali. Then, the next day, she met the former Prime Minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi. Discussions centered on developments following the early legislative elections that were held on October 10.[/size]
[size=45]According to a statement issued by Khazali's office, Khazali called on Plasschaert to be a "neutral party to the ongoing problems in order to overcome the current crises and prevent the country from reaching a state of political impasse." The statement also stated that the two parties discussed during their meeting in Baghdad political issues, especially the results of the parliamentary elections and their repercussions. The statement stated that Khazali presented evidence of the fraud and manipulation that accompanied the elections, and expressed his astonishment at the issuance of a statement by the Security Council regarding the elections before the final results were approved. The statement stressed that the coordinating framework, which includes the losing blocs as well as the bloc of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, will continue to follow the legal procedures in this regard. For her part, Blackshart responded and stated that she would study the evidence provided by Al-Khazali.[/size]
[size=45]The leader of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement, Khazali, as well as supporters of other parties protesting in front of the Green Zone against the election results since mid-November, have accused the UN representative of Plasschaert of being involved in vote-rigging, describing her as “the old manipulator of votes.” From this point of view, it was really surprising for many that she was meeting with Khazali, or that she was a party to a supposed effort for a settlement or mediation process.[/size]
[size=45]The Security Council welcomed the success of the Iraqi elections after the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi provided all the necessary requirements for their success, including security, financial and logistical support for the Independent High Electoral Commission. The Security Council also expressed its regret for the "recent threats of violence against UNAMI and UNHCR staff," and called on those who object to the results to take legal avenues in this regard.[/size]
[size=45]There were several comments on the meeting that brought together Blackshart with Qais Khazali, including comments from the Sadrist movement led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which won 73 seats. Speaking to Al-Marbad news site, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Issam Hussein, said, commenting on this meeting that it was a very ordinary meeting and should not be seen as part of a conspiracy or making concessions. Hussein said in his speech, “Often the coordinating framework criticizes others violently, and the media focuses on a particular person, topic or event. Therefore, this meeting came as a result of these pressures, which conveyed the image that Plasschaert was behind the electoral fraud.”[/size]
[size=45]The leader of the Sadrist movement pointed out that Blackshart, on the other hand, is spreading reassurance among the people and the demonstrators, and has proven that it is not involved in rigging the elections.[/size]
[size=45]According to a source close to the Ahl al-Haq movement, who asked not to be named, Plasschaert tried to ignore the accusations leveled against her that UNAMI was involved in vote rigging, in order to be able to continue its role as a mediator between conflicting parties in the country, and that the losing parties in the coordination framework may accept Through mediation, after the Sadrist movement gave deafening permission to calls for the formation of a consensus government that includes all parties and not a majority government, as al-Sadr promised before and after the elections.[/size]
[size=45]For its part, the Coordination Framework blocs are seeking to market the Wisdom Movement project by Ammar al-Hakim through the envoy Plaschart. The project proposed by al-Hakim on November 15 aims to abolish the elections law, end the work of the Electoral Commission, and organize early elections two years from now, provided that a consensual prime minister manages the transitional phase. All political parties outside the coordination framework, including the Kurdish parties, rejected this project, which they described as unrealistic.[/size]
[size=45]The more the Sadrists insist on forming a majority government in isolation from the losing blocs, the more the latter will escalate their protests and threats. This is while the winning blocs are waiting for the judicial authority to ratify the final results of the elections so that the largest parliamentary blocs, which are constitutionally authorized to form the cabinet, can begin their negotiations in this regard.[/size]
[size=45]• About the Monitor[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Good luck Jeanine Plasschaert!