Iraq VP calls for prosecuting forgers of parliamentary elections

Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi yesterday called on the country’s authorities to take legal action against anyone who has forged results in the recent parliamentary elections, stressing that the judiciary’s decision to recount the ballot papers was a “severe blow to the will of corrupt”.

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court recently approved parliament’s decision to manually re-count votes cast in the 12 May parliamentary elections.

“Authorities must take legal action against the forgers and their affiliates,” Allawi said.

According to the official results announced last month, the Iraqi electoral alliance Saeroon, which is being supported by the leader of the Sadrist Movement Muqtada Al-Sadr, came in first place following the vote with 54 seats out of 329. The Fatah Alliance, which is composed of various political arms of the Popular Mobilisation Forces led by Hadi Al-Ameri, came in second.

Al-Nasr Coalition, led by the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi, came in the third place with 42 seats. It was followed by the State of Law Coalition, led by Al-Abadi’s predecessor Nouri Al-Maliki.

Read: On the fire that ruined Iraq’s elections