Iraqi court orders manual recount of votes

BAGHDAD - An Iraqi court ruled Monday in favour of a manual recount of the March Parliamentary election votes in Baghdad, a member of State of Law Coalition told reporters.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s coalition had asked a court to order a manual recount of ballots cast, saying it had proof of fraud, as results showed it narrowly lost the vote.

“Judges issued a decision today ordering a manual recount of all ballot boxes in Baghdad,” Hassan al-Sanid told reporters.

There were more than 332 appeals to the court from different political bodies to challenge the results of the elections.

Results of the elections showed former prime minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqiya List winning 91 seats in the 325-member parliament, followed by al-Maliki’s coalition with 89 seats. The National Iraqi Alliance followed with 70 seats.

Intense political jockeying has followed the results, as both al-Maliki and Allawi claim the right to form the new government.