Iraq to hold manual recount of May election results

[muriel_volestrangler]

Iraq’s parliament passed a law on Wednesday ordering a nationwide manual recount of votes in the May 12 parliamentary election, lawmakers said, a day after the prime minister said there had been serious violations.

The move could hinder the delicate process of forming a new government, raising the prospect of further uncertainty in Iraq, and pits the government and parliament against the election commission, which is meant to be independent.

The election was won by a bloc led by nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iran’s sway in Iraq. Votes were counted using an electronic system that was meant to prevent fraud but is now being blamed for irregularities.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose bloc came in third, said on Tuesday there were “dangerous” violations and that most of the blame lay with Iraq’s Independent High Elections Commission (IHEC), high ranking members of which he banned from travel without his permission.

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iraq-election/iraq-to-hold-manual-recount-of-may-election-results-idUKKCN1J222G

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Iraq election: Fire hits Baghdad ballots ahead of recount

Votes for the eastern district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad were being held in the building.
...
Firefighters were attempting to control the fire at the storage site, which housed ballot boxes of the al-Rusafa district in the east of Baghdad.

An interior ministry spokesman told the Reuters news agency that the blaze had destroyed some documents and equipment, but efforts were being made to stop it from affecting ballot boxes.

However, Baghdad province council member Mohamed al-Rabeei told Reuters that "all the boxes and papers have burned".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-44432047

Could be mighty convenient for someone ...