Ever since its establishment in 2004, the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IHEC) has maintained a good deal of impartiality in an extremely divided political environment. Although the Sunni political forces accused it of electoral fraud and manipulation after the 2005 parliamentary elections, and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition brought up similar accusations after the 2010 parliamentary elections, none of the accusations resulted in a refusal of the election results or in a big constitutional crisis.

The April 2014 parliamentary elections are just around the corner, and electoral campaigns are preceding these. The pressure on the electoral process will mount as we approach the election date, which makes us wonder whether IHEC will be able to withstand in Iraq’s highly factional politics. The IHEC was founded to be an independent and impartial commission with the credibility to manage electoral processes. The United Nations supported the IHEC, and an international expert was a member of the first Board of Commissioners that was established under the authority of the Coalition Provincial Authority. However, the role of the UN dwindled after the commission developed its capacities and skills, expanded its institutions and gained electoral experience. Meanwhile, the Iraqi parliament assigned new commissioners by following the new habit of sectarian, ethnic and factional apportionment, just like most public positions.

Gradually, the Board of Commissioners, which today includes nine members, became more factional, and some observers, independent politicians and small parties complain that its members are affiliated with the major parties. Still, this did not undermine the commission’s credibility. An expert who worked with the international team supporting the commission confirmed to Al-Monitor that the current council enjoys good degree of professionalism and experience. The impartiality of the commission was prioritized over the independence of its members, and this impartiality was guaranteed by the quasi-partisan representation in the commission. However, this arrangement was to the detriment of the small parties that were not represented and, as a result, cannot exert direct pressure on the commission’s members, when needed.

The Council of Commissioners issued, in February 2014, a statement in which it announced its decision to ban Shams Network from monitoring the elections. Shams is a major network that was founded to ensure the safety and impartiality of the electoral process. It has worked in the past alongside the commission. The commission announced that its decision came after the said network breached the code of conduct. The commission specifically referred to the statements of the head of the network, Hoger Jato, regarding the electronic voter cards system that the commission intends to implement in the upcoming elections.