Iraqi President Denies Informing Political Blocs of Refusal to Hold Elections on Schedule

The Iraqi presidency denied today, Monday, that President Barham Salih refused to hold early legislative elections as scheduled in October. The Iraqi News Agency reported a statement from a responsible source in the presidency affirming that "it strongly denies news circulated by one of the local Iraqi media outlets that President Barham Salih informed political blocs of his refusal to hold early elections on schedule." The source added that "the news is completely false," noting that "the President has always been keen on conducting the elections on the scheduled date in October and emphasizes this in his meetings with Iraqi political forces and parties, which is documented through numerous official statements issued by the presidency." The source urged media outlets and bloggers to be accurate and credible, and to obtain information from official sources, warning that "spreading such news without verification aims to harm and for dubious purposes."