Preparing for the elections

The last two days here in Zakho there has been a hugh increase in the number of people that are coming to us at the Change List office or are calling us by telephone, telling us they will vote for us. But most of them ask us not to mention their names to anybody. They are afraid to loose their paycheck from the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) if they find out that they renounced the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party). This is widespread because in Kurdistan 1 of 4 has a job with a wage from the KRG. Most of these people are poor and they are disappointed in the KRG for neglecting their needs. But there are also some that enthusiasticly offer to work with us openly.

Today we also held a conference and discussed how our election observers should be organized. We will have an observer in every polling station during the elections. We will supervise the registration, voting, counting of votes until they leave in seeled boxes to Baghdad where the IHEC (Independent High Electoral Commision) will recount the votes. We hope that the international independent observers are present in as many polling stations as possible.

Wednesday 22 of July was the last of the campaigning days and now the election starts. No campaigning is allowed from now until election day. Thursday 23 of July all personnel within security, the police, the fire department, hospitals etc. will vote so that they can maintain preparedness over the elections. Hopefully this means that the Asayish (Kurdish security police) will leave us alone this day or will they follow us around anyway...