Iraq PM calls for vote recount as rival takes lead
March 21st, 2010 - 8:30 pm ICT by IANS ( Leave a comment )Baghdad, March 21 (DPA) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Sunday called for a recount of votes cast in the country’s March 7 parliamentary polls after early results showed his main rival pulling ahead.
The Iraqi parliamentary race looked set to go down to the wire after early results announced late Saturday showed former prime minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqi List eking out a narrow lead over al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition.
Al-Maliki Sunday called on the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to conduct a manual recount of the national vote, given allegations of fraud.
This would “preserve political stability … and avoid a return to violence”, he said in a statement.
The electoral commission stood by the early results, saying there was no need for a recount.
“The commission has handed over copies of the results from the polling stations to all political entities,” the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC)’s Faraj al-Haidari said in a statement broadcast on Iraqi state television.
“They should review these results and compare them to those announced by the commission before asking for a recount,” he said.
The commission is prepared for “a recount from any polling station with results that are different from those handed over to the political groups”, he said.
Abbas al-Bayati, a senior lawmaker running for re-election with al-Maliki’s coalition, defended the prime minister’s call for a recount.
“The call for a recount is legitimate and constitutional,” he told DPA. “There are signs of a bug in the entering of (vote) data.”
“Al-Maliki … is calling for transparency. There are a number of entities with concerns,” Al-Bayati said. “The commission should respond to reassure these entities and settle the matter with transparency and trust.”
The IHEC’s Qassim al-Aboudi noted that the commission had cancelled the results of five stations in Baghdad, Mosul and al-Anbar because of fraud.
He said the commission is still investigating 1,979 complaints, including 319 so-called “red-category”, or most serious, complaints.
- Call for Election Recount by Iraq Prez - Mar 22, 2010
- Iraq Election Recount Demand Turned Down By IHEC - Mar 22, 2010
- Iraqi parliamentary race remains close - Mar 15, 2010
- Allawi vows to work with all parties in Iraq - Mar 27, 2010
- Iraq releases, then withdraws, early Baghdad poll results (Lead) - Mar 13, 2010
- Iraqi court orders manual recount of votes - Apr 19, 2010
- Former prime minister Allawi's list wins Iraqi polls - Mar 27, 2010
- Vote for Recount Rejected By Iraq Election Commission - Mar 22, 2010
- Iraqis begin voting for parliament - Mar 07, 2010
- Early Iraq poll results show tight race - Mar 13, 2010
- Rival edges past al-Maliki in Iraq's vote count - Mar 20, 2010
- Biden asks Iraqi leaders to form own government - Jul 04, 2010
- Biden pays surprise visit to Iraq - Nov 30, 2011
- Iraqi factions sign peace pact proposed by radical Shiite cleric - Dec 25, 2011
- 23 protesters killed in Iraq's 'Day of Rage' - Feb 26, 2011
Tags: abbas, baghdad mosul, dpa, electoral commission, faraj, former prime minister, haidari, iraqi state television, lawmaker, march 21, national vote, nuri al maliki, parliamentary polls, political entities, political groups, political stability, polling station, polling stations, prime minister ayad allawi, qassim
