Envoy hails November vote as a success but urges swift government formation and Baghdad-Erbil dialogue

Mohammed Al Hassan told the Security Council that Iraq has taken "hard won gains" toward stability, invoking the adoption of a new constitution and successive elections. He said Iraq had just held its sixth parliamentary election on Nov. 11, which he described as "one of the most free, orderly, and credible elections to be conducted in Iraq so far," and reported a notable increase in registered voter turnout at 56%.

Al Hassan congratulated the Iraqi people, the Independent High Electoral Commission and UNAMI—s electoral assistance office for their roles in the vote and said he hopes a new government "will be formed without delay." He also warned that the formation of the Kurdistan regional government remains pending after over a year of negotiations, calling for cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil, including open dialogue based on the Iraqi constitution to resolve outstanding issues such as disputed territories.

The envoy welcomed recent technical and legal committee meetings between Iraq and Kuwait held in July, September and in November to delimit a maritime boundary (transcript phrase: "beyond 0.162"), and urged that such meetings lead to practical, concrete results in the interest of both countries.