{"id":47017,"date":"2021-11-24T11:22:51","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T11:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=47017"},"modified":"2021-11-24T11:22:51","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T11:22:51","slug":"sudans-hamdok-says-investigation-launched-into-violations-against-protesters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=47017","title":{"rendered":"Sudan\u2019s Hamdok says investigation launched into violations against protesters"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\n\tNEW YORK: Iraqis across the political spectrum should show restraint, shun violence and wait patiently for the final ratification of results from last month\u2019s \u201chard-earned\u201d elections, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Jeanine Plasschaert, special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, said there is much for Iraqis \u201cto be proud of\u201d in the Oct. 10 election \u2014 the fifth national poll held under Iraq\u2019s 2005 constitution \u2014 which the UN has praised as generally peaceful and well-managed.<\/p>\n

Her comments come as Iraq waits on final confirmation of the election result by the Federal Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Referring to the poll, Plasschaert said: \u201cAll in all, it was a substantial achievement, which Iraq\u2019s authorities and parties would do well to publicly acknowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

She reminded the Security Council that the October elections came in the wake of an unprecedented wave of protests throughout Iraq in 2019, including \u201cdemonstrations that were marked by violence, excessive use of force, abductions and targeted killings.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protests resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries, Plasschaert added.<\/p>\n

Iraqis went to the polls to elect MPs amid protesters\u2019 calls for a halt to endemic corruption and an improvement in living conditions.<\/p>\n

Following the elections, supporters of the Fatah Alliance \u2014 the coalition representing Iran-backed militias that lost two-thirds of its seats \u2014 claimed the poll was rigged and refused to accept the results, despite hundreds of international observers testifying to the integrity of the voting process.<\/p>\n

Describing the current Iraqi outlook as \u201cprecarious,\u201d Plasschaert highlighted clashes that erupted in the weeks following the vote, and sit-ins that escalated into violence and resulted in several deaths.<\/p>\n

The UN official called the assassination attempt against Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi a direct attack on the Iraqi state, \u201ca heinous act, and one that can only be condemned in the strongest of terms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to the Security Council remotely from Baghdad, Plasschaert added: \u201cLet me be clear, under no circumstances must terrorism, violence or any other unlawful acts be allowed to derail Iraq\u2019s democratic process.\u201d<\/p>\n

While acknowledging that emotions run high in any democratic election, she called for dialogue, calm and restraint to ease tensions, and warned that any unlawful attempt to prolong or discredit the electoral results process, through violence, intimidation or pressure, \u201ccan only backfire.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is that citizens in democracies often must recognize that, even if the results are not what she or he hoped for, the process as such might have been sound. In fact, one of the clearest signs of a strengthening democracy is the ability for parties and electors to recognize outcomes \u2014 no matter their individual preferences when it comes to results.<\/p>\n

While reiterating the absence of any evidence of systemic fraud, the UNAMI chief called for any electoral concerns to be dealt with through legal channels.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile losing seats can be difficult to digest, it is important \u2014 for any party in any democracy \u2014 to examine the reasons and to learn for future elections,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

With the continued risk of political deadlock in Baghdad, Plasschaert underscored the importance of an inclusive government formation process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIraq desperately needs a government that is able to \u2014 swiftly and effectively \u2014 tackle the long list of unfinished domestic business. This is the primary responsibility of all political stakeholders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

US Permanent Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield also said Iraqis should be proud of this election, which took place \u201cin a world with far too much democratic backsliding.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas-Greenfield also credited the Security Council for the successful results of Iraqi elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis council spoke in unison, authorizing UNAMI to provide electoral technical assistance and election monitors. This council came together and provided the resources the government of Iraq needed to meet the legitimate demands of its people. This council helped strengthen democratic institutions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The US envoy called for this \u201cspirit of cooperation\u201d to continue across all the files on the Security Council agenda.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK: Iraqis across the political spectrum should show restraint, shun violence and wait patiently for the final ratification of results from last month\u2019s \u201chard-earned\u201d elections, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Tuesday.Jeanine Plasschaert, special representative of the UN secretary-general and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, said there is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spotlight_news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47017\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}