Iraq receives 1,400 appeals against election results

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission said yesterday it had received nearly 1,400 appeals contesting the election results.

Commission chairman, Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, said all 1,400 appeals would be reviewed and voting stations where irregularities are found will be reopened for a manual recount of the votes with representatives of the competing candidates in attendance.

“The Electoral Commission will continue reviewing appeals with the same mechanism and procedures in the coming days until all of them are completed,” he added.

Judge Khalaf stressed that the Electoral Commission aims to protect everyone’s vote.

Over the past two days, Baghdad and other provinces in the south of the country have witnessed sporadic protests held by groups who reject the early election results.

Last week, Shia forces warned that proceeding with the results threatens civil peace in the country, raising fears of a possible outbreak of hostilities.

On Tuesday, the Election Commission announced that the judiciary had rejected all 1,360 appeals filed against the partial preliminary announcement of the results.

According to the preliminary results, the Sadr bloc affiliated with Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr received the highest number of seats with 73 out of a possible 329. A coalition will not need to be formed to secure the 165 seats required to form a government.

READ: Iraq suffers lowest voter turnout