A frantic race between Iraqi political blocs to buy votes in the upcoming elections threatens the Electoral Code of Ethics, which Asharq al-Awsat reported in its Saturday's issue.
The Code, which was adopted by the United Nations, ensures the moral commitment of the political forces in order to ensure the transparency and integrity of the elections. It also condemns the use of sectarian or ethnic rhetoric, rejects violence and bans the intimidation of voters during elections.
Article 4 of the code calls on “rejecting all kinds of violence and on confronting any behavior that threatens national unity.”
While the leader of Sadrist movement Muqtada al-Sadr warned against not participating in the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 12, the process of buying votes, including voter cards, continued to take place.
In an answer to a question from one of his followers that some people are reluctant to vote because they believe not participating in the elections will be a "solution to their bitter reality", Sadr pointed out that this is wrong because their lack of participation will lead to worse results.
MP Raad al-Dahlaki defended the Code, stressing the importance of committing to it in light of the pressures that citizens have been subjected to in certain areas to elect specific lists or candidates. In certain cases, voters were threatened if they didn't comply with the directives.
"There are fears of some of the parties that have armed wings. Others are afraid of marginalization. This code is a platform committed to everyone to eliminate those fears," indicated Dahlaki.
Former Nineveh Governor and head of the United Iraq Party, Atheel al-Nujaifi, wondered about political blocs abiding by the codes of ethics that have already been signed in recent periods.
Speaking to Asharq al-Awsat, he indicated that this electoral campaign will end before they sign the document and before it takes effect.
"Who will judge this party if it commits to the Code or it violates it? and what time is left?" Nujaifi said. He considered this document as part of a campaign against opponents while accusing them of non-compliance to the Code.
When asked about buying votes, Nujaifi indicated that no one certainly admits that they are buying votes. He described this as a crime punishable by law and stated that this phenomenon results from a culture that believes elections are useless.
For his part, Head of the Iraqi Forces Coalition Salah al-Jubouri told Asharq Al-Awsat that it wasn't very clear whether votes had been bought in Diyala province.
Jubouri did not rule out that some parties continue to pay more money, however the most prominent practice of some candidates is providing services to citizens in their areas, such as improving the streets or building football fields for the youth.
Yahya al-Kubaisi, the candidate for the "Iraqi Decision" bloc, believes that "political money" begins from the moment alliances are formed, adding that, practically, most coalitions are financial deals between candidates and those on these lists.
Speaking on the phenomenon of buying votes, Kubaisi said that there is no such thing, but there is an auction that opened a long time ago for the purchase of election cards and there is no specific amount for the card, rather it depends on the supply and demand and also on its site.
Mekdad al-Sharifi, a former official from the electoral commission, explained that the purchase of an electoral card was impractical because each card needed a fingerprint to pass, but he did not deny that millions of dollars were used to buy votes.
MP Hassan Turan, deputy head of Turkmen Front, called on the electoral commission to explain to people that the electoral cards can't be sold and are only meant to be used by the owner.
