Qubad Talabani and a few Kurdish election officials have repeatedly said that the Iraqi Kurdish elections would be monitored by organizations including the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute. This was not true.
A press release from IRI:
Clarification on Media Reports Stating that IRI is Monitoring the Kurdistan Regional Elections
“…According to the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observers and Code of Conduct for International Election Observers, which IRI endorses, an election observation mission is ‘the systematic, comprehensive and accurate gathering of information concerning the laws, processes and institutions related to the conduct of elections and other factors concerning the overall electoral environment; the impartial and professional analysis of such information; and the drawing of conclusions about the character of electoral processes based on the highest standards for accuracy of information and impartiality of analysis.’
“As such, IRI will not be monitoring the Kurdistan Regional elections. Rather, a small number of IRI staff will conduct a program assessment on Election Day of the Institute’s voter education and voter turnout programs.
“IRI will not be issuing any findings on the elections itself.”
Barham Salih, when the Iraqi Kurdish representative in Washington, once said that the key to the Kurds’ success was credibilility, that he never let himself get caught in a lie. It is too bad that young Talabani does not ascribe to the same philosophy.