Vote buying indicates political bankruptcy – observers
BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: People claim that cards for family meals at restaurants in Baghdad, presents, canned food, leather-made agendas and other things are being allegedly given out by political entities and figures for citizens in exchange of their votes. Some sources have even included refrigerators and cash to get citizens’ votes. Some political entities and candidates are pursuing these ways to get votes after failing to come up with ambitious electoral platforms that should attract voters. Abdulameer al-Mijar, political writer, says bribes and presents given by some political entities and candidates to get voters’ attention render a very important phenomenon with both moral and legal responsibilities. “Those political entities have no assets within the Iraqi popular circles,” al-Mijar told IraqiNews.com news agency. “Platforms create public agreement with a political entity or candidate,” he said. Al-Mijar believes that after 2003 political blocs relied on the sectarian and ethnic aspects to gain people’s support. “At that time, Shiites voted for Shiites, Sunnis for Sunnis, Kurds for Kurds, and so on,” he explained. “It was not a real electoral process; it was like a referendum,” he proceeded. “People now want parties and entities that serve them, not those that represent part of their identities,” he added. Abdelsattar Jabbor, a political commentator, deplored reported political parties’ attempts to bribe voters. “We are sorry to hear that some political entities and candidates are offering electrical appliances and cash to buy citizens’ votes although we do not have statistics figures in this regard,” Jabbor said. “This indicates that those political blocs are unable to create and maintain public grounds,” he added. According to Jabbor, “It is now high time Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) should activate its surveillance role and establish an honest and healthy electoral culture in Iraq”. For her part, Ahlam al-Kenani, the editor-in-chief of the state-owned al-Aqlam Magazine, said “Such practices do not help a candidate at all”. “They only reflect how the candidate does not trust himself/herself to run the post he is competing to occupy,” she noted. MH (S)/AmR 3