News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
Iraq's parliamentary election results have not changed significantly as the result of a recount of 2.5 million ballots that has now reached the halfway point, an elections official said on Sunday.Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's predominantly Shi'ite coalition demanded the recount of ballots in Baghdad, alleging fraud after finishing second in the March 7 vote, two seats behind a cross-sectarian bloc headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite.The inconclusive result raised concerns of renewed sectarian violence in a power vacuum as politicians jockey for position to pull together a parliamentary majority.The recount, which began Monday, is expected to be finished on Friday, said Faraj al-Haidari, head of the Independent High Electoral Commission."We hope there will be no significant change. It is possible that there might be a change in a couple of votes here and there," Haidari said."Change is ... acceptable up to 4 percent and so far the vote count allocation has not changed by even 1 percent."A judicial review panel ordered the manual recount in Baghdad, which holds more than 20 percent of the seats in Iraq's 325-member parliament.Allawi's Iraqiya coalition rode strong support from Iraq's minority Sunnis to gain 91 parliamentary seats compared to 89 for Maliki's State of Law bloc.State of Law announced last week a tie-up with the Iran-friendly Iraqi National Alliance, which finished third with 70 seats, to form the largest grouping in parliament.Allawi has warned that an alliance of the two major Shi'ite blocs that attempts to exclude Iraqiya could anger Sunnis and spark renewed violence as Iraq tries to stabilise its fragile security situation while U.S. troops prepare to leave.IHEC said on Sunday it would send the voting results from 17 of Iraq's 18 provinces, excluding only Baghdad, to a court for a final certification.Iraq's presidency council suggested such a move last week as a way of speeding up the approval of the final results. Diplomats have expressed concern about the length of time it is taking Iraq to form a new government.(Writing by Jim Loney; Editing by Michael Christie)
News posted by www.newsinfoline.com
Click here to read more news from www.newsinfoline.com
Please follow our blogs
newsinfolinephotogallery
prabugallery
newsinfolinephotogallery1
photogallery1
No comments:
Post a Comment