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Iraq Starts Manual Vote Recount for 6 Shi'ite Provinces

by Associated Press

   BAGHDAD --

   Iraq's election commission on Monday expanded its manual recount of
   ballots from May's parliamentary elections, which were marred by
   allegations of fraud and irregularities.
   Observers from the United Nations and Iraqi political parties watched
   as commission employees in Baghdad began recounting ballots from six
   Shi'ite-dominated provinces: Basra, Mayssan, Thi Qar, Muthana,
   Qadissiya and Wasit.
   Last week, the elections commission started the recount for the
   ethnically-mixed city of Kirkuk, where Turkmen and Arab groups have
   accused the Kurdish Patriotic Union of Kurdistan of fraud, allegations
   the party has denied. No results have been made public yet.
   Iraq's May 12 balloting was the country's fourth national election
   since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein. It
   was also the first vote since the government announced the defeat of
   the Islamic State group.
   However, the elections saw the lowest turnout yet, mainly due to public
   anger at the political elite.
   The partial recount, approved by Iraq's Supreme Court last month, will
   further complicate the fragile postelections period and prolong the
   process of forming a new government. It will include the recounting of
   paper ballots from inside and outside the country.
   Iraq's populist Shi'ite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, gained the largest
   share in the vote, garnering 54 seats in the 329-seat parliament. An
   Iran-backed bloc - made up of Shi'ite militias - came in second with 47
   seats, followed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's alliance, with 42
   seats.