BAGHDAD, Iraq — Leaders of political parties from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region met at Salam Palace in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss political situations in Iraq, specifically recent election outcomes, but there was no immediate consensus reached.
“The positions are close to each other. We might be able to resolve the problems,” Nouri al-Maliki, the previous Iraqi prime minister, told reporters after the meeting.
Salim al-Jabouri, a Sunni who is the current speaker of parliament, iterated that respect for legal measures and preserving the democracy were agreed upon, and that they didn't want things to lead to chaos, following the meeting.
“There are different opinions. We will try to bring them close to each other,” Jabouri said.
Fuad Masum, the president of Iraq, weighed in as the guardian of the constitution.
“In the meeting, the election results and the changes the parliament has made along with their implications were discussed," he said in a statement after the meeting.
Masum encouraged that the process move swiftly.
"Serious efforts should be made to enforce security and political stability. The will of voters should be respected,” he added.
Members present included: Maliki, Jabouri, Hadi al-Amiri, Ammar al-Hakim, Muqtada al-Sadr representative Humam Amudi, KDP’s Baghdad branch head Shwan Taha, PUK representative Friad Rawanduzi, and Gorran representative Aram Sheikh Mohammed.
A representative for incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is also attended.
Lists for Shiite politicians Sadr, Amiri, Abadi, Maliki took the top four spots. They were followed by the KDP. Jabouri and Allawi’s list was sixth, followed by Hakim, and then the PUK.
The results of the election are currently contested by a majority of incumbent MPs and the current government. They have announced a full manual recount of ballots nationwide, and the annulment of the diaspora, IDP, and Kurdistan Region security forces' votes.
Six dissatisfied parties from the Kurdistan Region, not including the KDP and PUK, expressed support for the recount.
The KDP has called what happened in the Iraqi parliament “a violation of the constitution and the law,” but they aren’t opposed to a nationwide recount of all votes.
This is a developing story... Last updated at 3:54 p.m.
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