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Two days after Iraq’s legislative election, pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim parties and armed groups on Tuesday denounced early poll results as “manipulation” and a “scam”.
Sunday’s election – the fifth in the war-scarred country since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein – was marked by record-low turnout of 41 percent.
Parties representing Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority have dominated since the aftermath of the invasion, but early results from Sunday’s vote deepened a rift between powerful factions within that camp.
According to preliminary results from the electoral commission, the biggest winner was the movement of Shiite cleric and political maverick Moqtada Sadr, which increased its lead to 73 of the assembly’s 329 seats.
This boosts Sadr’s leverage when it comes to choosing Iraq’s next prime minister and cabinet. A one-time leader of a militia that fought against US troops, Sadr has recently adopted a more nationalistic and anti-Iran rhetoric.
Losses were booked by pro-Iranian Shiite parties with links to the armed groups that make up the paramilitary network known as Hashed al-Shaabi, or Popular Mobilisation Forces.
Iraq’s election boosts Sadr block’s influence but no party wins majority
The Fatah (Conquest) Alliance, previously the second largest bloc in parliament, suffered a sharp decline from 48 to only about a dozen seats, according to observers and results compiled by AFP.
“We will appeal against the results and we reject them,” said a joint statement by several…
Source : france24
