Iraq’s Sunni blocs writing down covenant for boycotting elections

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament are preparing a document to establish for a common stance rejecting participation in Iraq’s upcoming elections, parliamentary sources were quoted saying on Friday.

NRT quoted the sources saying that parliament representatives from Nineveh and Anbar, homes to a large Sunni population, are preparing a document emphasizing their rejection of the previously set election schedule.

“The document has been sent to Sunni partisan leaderships for deliberation,” the sources said, adding that Sunni parties remain adamant that the government ensures fulfillment of their conditions for running the elections, including “the return of refugees, adopting electronic means of voting and vote-counting and excluding arms to state-run troops at areas recaptured from the Islamic State”.

The document, sources said, states that Sunni blocs will boycott the elections if those conditions are not met.

Iraq slated legislative and local elections for May 12th, but many Sunni politicians have questioned the integrity of the anticipated polls as nearly half of displaced civilians have yet to be repatriated to their home areas retaken from Islamic State militants.

The war against IS had displaced nearly five million people since the emergence of the group in 2014.

Sunni politicians have also been disturbed by Shia paramilitary commanders who dropped arms to run the elections.

On Thursday, the Iraqi parliament called off to Saturday one more session to debate on the elections’ timetable and regulations.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has repeatedly reiterated that the polls would be held on time.