Iraq to tackle vast vote recount amid claims of extensive fraud
As the Iraqi Cabinet and parliament investigate allegations of widespread fraud in the recent election, the winning parties await the potential fallout, worried about losing parliament seats.
Just hours after Iraq's parliament called June 6 for a partial recount of votes from the May election — where the bloc of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr won a plurality — a massive explosion rocked the section of Baghdad that bears his family's name, Sadr City. At least 18 people were reported killed and dozens were wounded.
Some initial reports said the explosion was the result of a truck bomb, but Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi later said a weapons cache stored in a mosque by "unauthorized parties" had detonated. The cause is still being investigated.
The Iraqi parliament, in the presence of 172 out of 329 members, had passed an amendment to the country's election law that allows for a manual recount across the country and authorizes a committee to investigate possible election fraud. Parliament also suspended the work of the electoral commission leaders. A panel of nine judges will supervise the commission's work until the parliamentary election results are ratified. The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council on June 7 approved implementation of the amendment.
The council will hold a meeting June 10 to name the judges who will be assigned to carry out the recount and assess the alleged fraud. Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdul-Sattar Bayrakdar stressed that the judiciary will perform its mission honestly and impartially.
