Iraq VP says parliamentary polls were ‘farce’

Iraqi Vice-President Iyad Allawi on Saturday described the May 12 parliamentary polls as a “farce” after the results of manual recount unveiled a massive fraud.

“Fraud unveiled by the manual recount of votes in some Kirkuk polling stations undoubtedly shows that the recent polls were a farce,” Allawi said in a statement released by his office.

Allawi, who heads the Wataniya coalition, said most votes were rigged in some centers in Kirkuk.

Last week, the Iraqi electoral commission began a manual recount of votes after allegations of vote-rigging during the polls.

The move came after the Iraqi parliament last month voted in favor of amending Iraq’s election law, allowing votes to be recounted manually.

Shortly afterward, a panel of judges was appointed to assume the responsibilities of the electoral commission, several members of which were sacked amid widespread allegations of electoral fraud.

Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon coalition dominated the polls, winning 54 parliamentary seats, according to official results. Sairoon was followed by a Hashd al-Shaabi-led coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s Victory Bloc (42 seats).