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Iraqi PM cries fraud in the face of defeat
* Elections body discounts fraud allegation
BAGHDAD: Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud on Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.
Allawi, who served as interim prime minister from 2004-05, could still lose his narrow edge over Maliki, a Shia whose law-and-order message has put him ahead in seven of 18 provinces, including the electoral prizes Baghdad and Basra. But no matter what the final outcome, Allawis strong showing, particularly among minority Sunnis resentful of the dominance of Shia religious parties since 2003, has broad implications for the formation of the next government and stability in the country once US troops withdraw. Allawis cross-sectarian Iraqiya party is leading in five provinces, and his nationwide edge is only 9,000 votes. Trailing the front runners are the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and Kurdish parties which dominate Iraqs Kurdish north.
Ali al-Adeeb, a close Maliki ally, said the premiers State of Law bloc had been tipped off by election workers that votes were being manipulated in favour of a competitor he declined to name. The bloc has asked for a recount in Baghdad, where Malikis lead has steadily narrowed.
Only when a recount and review is completed can we decide if IHECs tally of our votes is accurate or not, he said.
No fraud: The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said the count was fair and included multiple checks against fraud. The most recent preliminary results show a close race between major lists (parties). That explains their fears and misgivings, said Karim al-Tamimi, an IHEC commissioner. IHEC, along with UN officials advising them, have downplayed allegations of fraud, which until now had mainly come from Allawis camp. Almost 2,000 complaints have been logged, fewer than in Iraqs provincial polls in January 2009.
In Kirkuk, the disputed province that is Iraqs northern oil hub, Allawi holds the thinnest of leads over a bloc of Kurdish parties that want to fold Kirkuk into their semi-autonomous enclave. But the picture in Kirkuk, like the rest of Iraq, could change. IHEC has yet to announce vote tallies for Iraqis living abroad and from special voting that included soldiers, police, prison inmates and hospital patients and staff. reuters
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
* Elections body discounts fraud allegation
BAGHDAD: Supporters of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained of vote fraud on Wednesday after new but incomplete results from a March 7 election showed their candidate trailing secularist challenger Iyad Allawi.
Allawi, who served as interim prime minister from 2004-05, could still lose his narrow edge over Maliki, a Shia whose law-and-order message has put him ahead in seven of 18 provinces, including the electoral prizes Baghdad and Basra. But no matter what the final outcome, Allawis strong showing, particularly among minority Sunnis resentful of the dominance of Shia religious parties since 2003, has broad implications for the formation of the next government and stability in the country once US troops withdraw. Allawis cross-sectarian Iraqiya party is leading in five provinces, and his nationwide edge is only 9,000 votes. Trailing the front runners are the Shia Iraqi National Alliance (INA) and Kurdish parties which dominate Iraqs Kurdish north.
Ali al-Adeeb, a close Maliki ally, said the premiers State of Law bloc had been tipped off by election workers that votes were being manipulated in favour of a competitor he declined to name. The bloc has asked for a recount in Baghdad, where Malikis lead has steadily narrowed.
Only when a recount and review is completed can we decide if IHECs tally of our votes is accurate or not, he said.
No fraud: The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said the count was fair and included multiple checks against fraud. The most recent preliminary results show a close race between major lists (parties). That explains their fears and misgivings, said Karim al-Tamimi, an IHEC commissioner. IHEC, along with UN officials advising them, have downplayed allegations of fraud, which until now had mainly come from Allawis camp. Almost 2,000 complaints have been logged, fewer than in Iraqs provincial polls in January 2009.
In Kirkuk, the disputed province that is Iraqs northern oil hub, Allawi holds the thinnest of leads over a bloc of Kurdish parties that want to fold Kirkuk into their semi-autonomous enclave. But the picture in Kirkuk, like the rest of Iraq, could change. IHEC has yet to announce vote tallies for Iraqis living abroad and from special voting that included soldiers, police, prison inmates and hospital patients and staff. reuters
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
