Iraq Prez asks objectors to restore calm, 'resort to law' over election result dispute

Iraqi President Barham Salih on Friday urged the objectors to the early results of the snap parliamentary elections to calm down and "resort to law", ANI reported quoting Xinhua News Agency. In a statement released by the President's media office, he also called on all parties to adapt to a "responsible national stance, keep calm and avoid any escalation that might affect societal peace and security." Protests broke out in Iraq after pro-Iranian parties dubbed the snap election results as a 'scam,' Israel Times reported.

It is to be noted that Iraq held its parliamentary elections on October 10, which were originally scheduled for 2022. Millions of voters lined up to cast their ballots at over 8,000 polling booths across Iraq last Sunday, Xinhua News Agency reported. The elections began at 7 am and by the end of the day saw a footfall of 9 million out of the 24 million eligible voters in the country, as per preliminary results. The turnout was roughly calculated to be 41%, the country's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) noted last Monday.

The elections were advanced due to mass protests against the country's poor governance fuelled by corruption and lack of public services. The voters were supposed to choose candidates for 329 seats in the Parliament from a pool of 3,249. 

Pro-Iranians call snap parliamentary elections 'scam'

As per the preliminary results announced last Sunday, religious scholar and political maverick Muqtada al-Sadr amassed a vote share of 73 out of the 329 seats in the Parliament. Meanwhile, the Fateh (Conquest) Alliance witnessed a sharp decline from 48 seats to about 16 seats. Additionally, pro-Iranian Shia parties with a link to armed group Hashd al-Shaabi or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) garnered about a dozen and Imtidad Movement won about 9 seats. As of October 13, the tally was completed for 94% of polling stations, but the final result was yet to be officially announced due to a manual count of 60,000 votes, Israel Times reported.

Salih urges EC to follow up on complaints

Following the announcement of results several formal complaints were filed by objectors accusing the election commission (EC) of "manipulation". Salih urged the electoral commission and the judiciary to look into the complaints with "high professionalism, responsibility, and complete impartiality."

Image: ANI (representative)