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Erik K. Gustafson is the Founder and Executive Director of the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), an organization dedicated to the advancement of Iraq’s peace and development. He is a U.S. Army veteran of the 1991 Gulf War and an Iraq analyst focusing on human rights and humanitarian affairs.
Iraqi protesters’ perilous journey to the ballot box
With the approach of Iraq’s next parliamentary elections in October 2021, pro-reform candidates are facing troubling obstacles as they prepare to compete against the country’s establishment parties, which include armed militias that have dominated Iraq’s parliament since 2018. To ensure a fair electoral playing field, reformers are asking the international community to quickly step up elections-related assistance and planned oversight, as well as publicly reaffirm a readiness to call out observed violations.
