The Iraqi elections which shall place on 30 January can not satisfy any of the criteria of liberty and of correctness requested by the European Union in order to consider an election to be held valid, as has been determined, even if with different modalities, for the Ukraine and for the Palestinian Territories, and serious as well is the absence of International observers. The state of war in which the country lives, the military occupation, the impossibility to vote in four Sunni regions, the explicit death threats to which future voters are made object, are unmistakeable signs of a climate that is incompatible with the holding of free and democratic elections. The fundamental steps towards the return of sovereignty in the hands of the Iraqi people has been therefore directly threatened.

* What is the official position of the Council regarding the democratic credibility of the elections?
* Regarding the situation which has been described, how does the Council justify the allocation of 31.5 million Euro for sustaining the organisation of these elections?

The response of the Council to the Written Interrogation of January 2005 on the Iraqi elections – 2 June 2005

The Council is gladdened by the National elections in Iraq which reflect the interest of the Iraqi people for the political process underway, for democratic principles and for the state of rights. The Council makes an homage to the Iraqis, who have demonstrated courage, enthusiasm and determination in the participation of the elections notwithstanding the difficult situation regarding security. The Council has taken stock of the results proclaimed on 13 February by the electoral commission independent of Iraq, which has declared that the elections were held in conformity to international norms.

The objective of the European Union is a secure, stable, unified, prosperous and democratic Iraq that supports human rights and cooperates in a constructive manner with its nearby neighbours and the international community. To arrive at such an objective the European Council has presented to Iraq on 5 November 2004, a global programme of assistance and has announced ulterior measures of assistance in the session of the Council "CAGRE" of 21 February. The programme continues to be in effect together with a supplementary programme of community assistance. Such a programme foresaw the assistance to the elections of January 2005 principally through the support of the fiduciary fund of the United Nations. It also included support to the independent electoral commission of Iraq with three experts of the EU at Baghdad assigned to cooperate with said commission, as well as the actuation of a programme of formation of National observers in Jordan for 170 Iraqi coordinators and developers. The EU continues additionally to be willing to examine the best way to hold future elections, even through a possible observation mission of the EU in loco if the conditions of security thus permit.

The comment of EU Parliamentarian Giulietto Chiesa to the response of the Council to the Written Interrogation – 8 June

The Council is "gladdened", but does not respond to the questions. And, when it does respond, it does so by lying. It is easy to comprehend that whoever has written the response would like to say that those elections were approved of very much, despite the fact that they were incompatible with any of the parameters of validity that the European Union usually applies to elections.

Then, despite the evidence, and of any sense of decency, stretches so far as to affirm that the elections were "in conformance" to international norms.

It is significant that there was no precise response even to the specific matter of the 31.5 million Euro financed for the false electoral campaign.

In the evasive reply, one understands that the money has been allocated for a global programme of assistance that, however, has not yet been completed. It seems to imply that that massive sum is still being spent.

There is no evidence that the three electoral experts of the EU ever have arrived at Baghdad (unless there had been nominated in all haste then, three Iraqi functionaries).

In effect, a terrible example of ambiguity, of bureaucratic prevarication, of lack of glasnost, and of improper use of the money of collectivity.

See also the Iraq page of the GUE/NGL Europarliamentarians, the GUE website, and the ALDE website .