In the Press Release issued by the Ministry subsequent to January 30, 2005 elections, it has been stated that the final outcome of the elections would be assessed once the counting of the votes was complete.

Today the preliminary results of the national and provincial elections have been announced by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq.

The fact that elections could have taken place in Iraq indicates that notwithstanding all problems and security challenges, the Iraqis both in Iraq and abroad made their choice in favor of democracy.

On the other hand, low level of participation by certain segments of the Iraqi society, non-participation in several provinces, as well as imbalances and irregularities over the results in certain others, including Kirkuk, due to manipulations are issues that await earnest resolution.

It has become obvious that certain elements of the Iraqi society attempted to manipulate the voting procedure and extracted illegal gains out of this practice. We’d expect that the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq will examine the complaints about the election irregularities meticulously and take the necessary steps to settle them. We would also expect that the United Nations will carry out the necessary reviews within the framework of its responsibilities in line with UNSC Resolution 1546.

As a consequence of the foregoing, the Iraqi Transitional Assembly will not reflect the true proportionality of various segments of the Iraqi society.

The aim of these elections had been the constitution of the transitional Assembly. However, the above mentioned shortcomings raise serious concerns as regards the achievability of this objective. In this case, for the sake of the political process in Iraq, the lack of representation of certain groups and the imbalance in the administration of the country should be rectified during the drafting of the new constitution and prior to the elections due for the end of this year. The United Nations also should take a more active role in this process.

We wish that the shortcomings, irregularities and infringement of the rules that took place in January 30, 2005 elections will not reoccur during the constitutional referendum and the elections to be held according to the laws and regulations that will be enacted under it at the end of this year and consequently, the conditions are secured for a more fair and credible representation of all segments of the Iraqi society. We consider that the presence of international observers for the upcoming referendum and elections is indispensable and preparations need to be launched from now towards that end. 

With this understanding, Turkey will continue maintaining dialogue with all segments of the Iraqi society, supporting the steps taken by Iraq towards establishing a democratic regime reassuring its national unity and territorial integrity, and participating actively in international efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region and in the world.