Brussels, 06/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 5 May, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton hailed the conduct of the elections for the Council of Representatives of Iraq “on schedule and in accordance with the Iraqi Constitution”. “This is an important step in the construction of Iraq's democracy”, she stated in a press release. “The vote counting operation should now be completed speedily and transparently, leading to the swift formation of a truly representative government, able to address the many challenges facing Iraq”, Ashton added. The elections were held on 30 April, for the first time since the withdrawal of the US troops at the end of 2011. Over 9,000 candidates contended for the 328 seats in the Council of Representatives.
Ashton also condemned “in the strongest terms the acts of violence that sought to derail the electoral process and led to the loss of many lives”. She therefore paid tribute “to the courage” of the many Iraqi citizens who, “despite the security situation, which in some regions prevented a normal conduct of the elections”, went out to cast their votes “defying the risks and showing, once again, their commitment to Iraq's democracy and to participation in truly competitive elections”.
Over 60% of the 18 million registered Iraqis are estimated to have turned out to vote, despite the violence. Over 3,000 people have been killed in the country since the beginning of the year. (CG)