Iraqi parties tense as electoral commission does manual count

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi parties and political blocs are tense as they started to lose and gain seats in the parliament after the electoral commission started manually counting votes on Tuesday night.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) released partial preliminary results on Monday, a day after the election. The results handed out unexpected victories and devastating blows, angering some parties that alleged fraud. The commission started a manual count on Tuesday of over 8,000 polling stations that were not electronically counted, some because of technical issues. Confusion and debate erupted as the commission posted amended results.

“The situation in Baghdad is tense, and nothing can be ruled out,” tweeted political commentator Farhad Alaaldin.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) gained a seat in Duhok at the expense of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU) after the manual count, according to data from IHEC as of midday.

The Fatih Alliance, led by Hadi al-Amiri of the Badr Organization and supported by a range of pro-Iran militia groups, gained one seat, raising its total number from 16 to 17.

The alliance was the second largest bloc in the outgoing parliament and their poor result from the preliminary results drew the ire of Fatih members and supporters as well as Iran-backed militias who alleged fraud.

“The Resistance cannot tolerate malicious projects that seek to integrate or abolish the PMF [Popular Mobilization Forces], which only serve the American occupation,” a group of Iraqi militias supported by Tehran and calling themselves the Iraqi Resistance, said in a statement on Tuesday.

The National State Forces Alliance between former prime minister Haider al-Abadi and Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim lost half its seats when the manual count was added, going from six to three seats, according to data from IHEC.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who claimed victory appears to have also lost a few seats. However, his Sadrists have a large lead and are expected to maintain their position as the largest parliamentary bloc.

In a televised speech, Sadr claimed victory and, striking a nationalist tone, he warned foreign countries not to interfere in the process of forming the government.

A member of his bloc Safaa al-Assadi told Rudaw on Tuesday that “Muqtada al-Sadr is not like the others.”

“The next stage will be for the Sadrists, who will be servants of the Iraqi people and not their rulers,” he said.

Taqadum, which came a distant second place based on the preliminary results, appears to have lost a seat following the manual count. The party, led by parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, has 36 seats secured as of midday.

IHEC is investigating complaints and gave parties three days to appeal the results.

The early election was called in response to youth-led protests that demanded a shake-up of the ruling system during mass demonstrations in 2019, dubbed the Tishreen (October) movement.

The election took place under a new electoral law that radically changed the system, introducing a single non-transferable vote, but turnout was a record-low 41 percent.

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