Politics

Former Iraqi PM-led coalition threatens to sue electoral commission

The statement came from a leading politician in Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, which is projected to have won more than 30 seats in the Oct. 10 election, several more than its 2018 showing.

Kurdistan 24 2021/10/30 20:23

Iraq held national parliamentary elections on Oct. 10, 2021. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Iraq Iraqi Election 2021 Baghdad IHEC State of Law

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A leadership member in the political alliance led by former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki is threatening legal action against the federal electoral commission for its conduct in the Oct. 10 vote.

State of Law coalition leadership member Khalid al-Asadi said in a statement that the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) must declare it "failed" in its mission to hold a fair election.

"There are widespread protests against the reported [election] results and the [IHEC] is responsible for tampering with the results and vote-rigging in the electoral process," Asadi claimed on Saturday.

He added that if the electoral commission does not tend to all complaints regarding the vote, his coalition would file a lawsuit against the body and "punish" it.

Asadi's statement comes after his party demanded a total manual recount of the Oct. 10 vote, a costly procedure that political pundits have noted would likely set a precedent for future elections.

The State of Law coalition secured 34 seats in the 329-seat legislature in the early election, coming in third place behind Sadrist Movement and Takadum Party, which won 73 and 37 seats, respectively, preliminary results indicate.

The Sadrist Movement is led by mercurial Shia cleric and populist politician Muqtada al-Sadr. And, former parliamentary speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi heads the Taqadum (Progress) Party.