The Iraqi government continues to seek UN electoral assistance, even as it officially requests the United Nations to dissolve the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) by the end of next year, after nearly two decades of operation in the country.
Despite harsh criticisms of the mission’s effectiveness in past years and widespread skepticism about its role, particularly after the widely disputed results of the 2018 and 2021 election cycles, Baghdad still values the UN’s role in its electoral processes.
Government spokesperson Basim Al-Awadi stated that Baghdad would request the UN to establish a specialized electoral committee if UNAMI is dissolved before the scheduled parliamentary elections next year.
In May 2023, Iraq submitted a request to the UN Security Council and the UN Secretary-General to reduce UNAMI’s mandate and conduct an objective assessment of its work, in preparation for its eventual termination, citing that the conditions for which UNAMI was established 21 years ago no longer exist.
Following this request, a UN strategic committee visited Iraq in November last year and recommended ending UNAMI’s mission.
