Why does this page look this way?
It appears that you are using either an older, classic Web browser or a hand-held device that allows you to view our content but may not work with every feature of our site. If you are using an older browser, please upgrade for the best experience.
![]()
Home |
Site Index |
FAQs |
Contact |
RSS
|
Podcast
Navigation
home > by publication type > backgrounder > Monitoring the Iraqi Constitution Referendum
| Author: | Dina Guirguis |
|---|
October 4, 2005
The upcoming October 15 constitution referendum will, for the first time in their history, give Iraqis the opportunity to accept or reject a new constitution.
The Iraqi government is moving to secure polling places and has pledged to respect the will of the voters and treat allegations of vote tampering seriously.
Continuous violence in the country, however, has deterred international organizations from mounting major monitoring missions. The Carter Center, for example, which has monitored dozens of overseas elections,did not observe the January elections and will not monitor the October referendum. There are, however, several prominent organizations assisting and advising monitoring groups within Iraq in the run-up to next week’s vote. They are:
The UN Electoral Assistance Division (EAD) is working closely with the International Electoral Commission in Iraq—the government group organizing the elections—by providing technical and planning support for next week’s referendum. About forty-five foreign specialists working for the EAD offered advice and assistance and distributed almost two million kilos of materials, such as ballots, polling boxes, and voter screens.
The IMIE was established in December 2004 to monitor the electoral process in Iraq. The organization is led by a steering committee of members of independent election commission members and electoral experts from around the world. The IMIE has published an extensive report on the conduct and outcome of the January elections, and it will continue to monitor and assist Iraqis throughout the upcoming elections.
The NDI, an non-governmental organization (NGO) linked to the U.S. Democratic Party, which provides practical assistance to civic and political leaders, has several programs in Iraq that aim to strengthen political parties and civil society development. Their election program assists “domestic nonpartisan election monitors” through monitoring training programs and educating voters. They work very closely with the Iraqi Election Information network and trained more than 9,000 monitors for the January 2005 election.
The EIN is a domestic NGO dedicated to promoting democracy, transparency, and free and fair elections. The EIN acted as the domestic umbrella monitor for the January 2005 elections and is dedicated to observing all local, district, parliamentary, and presidential elections.
While the IRI—a U.S. NGO that works to promote democratic ideals—will not monitor the elections, the group has tried to improve civic and political rights of Iraqis through public outreach, like political party training seminars and other education programs. Like the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, the IRI has party affiliations – in this case, links with the U.S. Republican Party. (U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican, is chairman of its board of directors). Last month, the IRI conducted a public opinion poll (PowerPoint), which found that a majority of Iraqis planned to vote in the referendum.
The Egyptian-based ACIJLP, an NGO that works to promote justice and human rights in the Arab region, has signed on to monitor the referendum. They are one of the few Arab organizations observing the election.
The IECI is the main Iraqi body in charge of preparing and conducting elections in Iraq. The IECI has hired more than 100,000 polling staff across the country to carry out public outreach and awareness leading up to all elections, from local to presidential. According to the IECI, thousands of individual monitors have already been registered to observe the election.
Weigh in on this issue by emailing CFR.org.
![]()
In Termites in the Trading System, Jagdish Bhagwati reveals how the rapid spread of preferential trade agreements endangers the world trading system.
America Between the Wars explores how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Twin Towers shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today.
In The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State, Noah Feldman tells the story behind the increasingly popular call for the establishment of the sharia—the law of the traditional Islamic state—in the modern Muslim world.
Complete list of CFR Books.
![]()
![]()
This report argues that the United States must lead with domestic action on climate change and proposes a U.S. negotiating strategy for a global UN climate agreement that includes commitments from all major economies, while also promoting a less formal Partnership for Climate Cooperation that would focus the world's largest emitters on implementing aggressive emissions reductions.
This Task Force report examines changes in Latin America and in U.S. influence there, while taking account of the region's enduring importance to the United States. The Task Force offers an agenda for U.S. policy toward Latin America and identifies four critical areas that should provide the basis of a new U.S. approach.
About Independent Task Forces at the Council.
![]()
![]()
This report outlines the nature of the challenges in Pakistan's tribal areas, formulates strategies for addressing those challenges, and distills the strategies into realistic policy proposals worthy of consideration by the incoming administration.
This report analyzes the debate over U.S. use of assurances against torture, explaining the contexts in which they are used, how they can be conveyed, and what they can contain, and recommends a number of ways to respond to criticism so that the United States can continue using assurances.
Complete list of Council Special Reports.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1-800-537-5487, fax +1-410-516-6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1-212-434-9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
![]()
![]()
To request permission to reuse Council materials, please email publications@cfr.org or fax +1-212-434-9859.
Please include the complete information of the requested work—author, title, sections/pages to be copied or reprinted, and number of copies to be made—along with a brief description of where and how you would like to reuse the work.
You may also request permission for Council material through Copyright Clearance Center. For more information, please click on the logo below.
![]()
By Region | By Issue | By Publication Type | The Think Tank | For The Media | For Educators | About CFR
Home | Site Index | FAQ | Contact | RSS | Podcast
Copyright 2008 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.

