Allawi’s alliance calls for annulling Iraq vote results

By Amir al-Saadi

BAGHDAD (AA) – The Al-Wataniya Alliance of former Vice-President Iyad Allawi on Sunday called for annulling the results of the country’s parliamentary election, citing low turnout and alleged fraud.

“We call for re-conducting the poll while the current government remains in place until the atmosphere is favorable for holding election that reflects the aspiration of our people,” the alliance said in a statement.

It cited “violence, fraud, misinformation, buying votes and exploiting the conditions of the internally displaced people” for its call to cancel the vote results.

The alliance is an umbrella of 26 political parties and blocs, including the Civil Society for Reform party of Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri.

In an earlier statement, a source with the alliance said the bloc was leading in the four Sunni-majority provinces of Anbar, Saladin, Nineveh and Diyala.

Official results are expected to be announced in the coming days.

On Saturday, Iraqis voted in the country’s first parliamentary election since Iraq declared victory against the Daesh terrorist group.

According to the election commission, around 10.8 million Iraqis out of 24 million eligible voters took part in the vote, with a turnout of 44.52 percent.

The polls were held under the shadow of economic crisis, the return of thousands of refugees, political polarization, and security concerns.