Al-Kadhimi attributes postponing the elections to technical issues and reiterates his determination on holding it

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, reiterated his Government's determination to conduct the early elections, stressing that postponing it to October 10th is not "a deviation" as his Government is adamant about fulfilling its pledges to the popular demands.

The Council of Ministers voted unanimously in the session held earlier today to set October 10th to hold early elections instead of June 6th.

Al-Kadhimi said in a speech during the session, "we have previously set June 6th as the date for early elections to fulfill our pledges to hold elections within a year of our assumption of responsibility."

He added, "We have stressed throughout the last period, in discussions with all political forces and legal and popular actors, that the Government will not haphazardly hold elections. We stipulated ensuring free, fair, and just elections, and we made every effort to ensure electoral security."

"The government can ensure the security of the elections on June 6th, through military and security plans that we have been preparing for months," Al-Kadhimi continued.

"We were keen to provide the Commission's budget and directed to eliminating all obstacles it faces. In the previous session, we voted in favor of biometric registration for all employees in the country and supported its completion, as it is the best way to prevent tampering with the election results."

The Prime Minister indicated, "most of the political forces have assured us of their support for the commission," adding, "the commission confirmed in the proposal it submitted to the Council of Ministers that the issue is of significant technical dimensions and that it is keen to preserve the integrity of the elections and provide equal opportunities for everyone to run the electoral process fairly."

Al-Kahdimi elaborated that the Commission's proposal allows extending the nomination dates, granting sufficient time to complete the electoral process's schedule. This is not a deviation from the early election principle because it will take place anyway, and it will not be waived. It is a popular demand supported by the Marja'iya and a part of the government program."