Iraq PM’s supporters take to the streets in recount call

BASRA: Hundreds of supporters of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki took to the streets Basra on Wednesday to back his call for a nationwide recount of votes from the country’s March 7 election.

Maliki’s demand over the weekend for a manual recount of the around 12 million ballots cast, which he has said was necessary to maintain stability and ward off violence, was rebuffed by the national election commission. In Basra, Iraq’s southern port city, protesters gathered outside the provincial government’s offices brandishing placards that read: “We demand a recount.” “No no to fraud, yes yes to Maliki, yes yes to Iraq,” they shouted in unison in the city, 450 kilometres south of Baghdad, where the heads of 10 provincial councils, all members of Maliki’s State of Law Alliance, from mostly Shia provinces were meeting.

In a statement released following the meeting, they called for the election commission to authorise a manual recount of the votes due to what they said was the possibility of fraud “and manipulation of the election results.”On Sunday, the election commission said it had not seen any widespread fraud in the election, making any recount unnecessary.

It said that political parties and groups would have to present evidence of wrongdoing to substantiate their complaints before full results are announced on Friday, nearly three weeks after the elections took place. Wednesday’s statement added that “if the commission does not respond to the demand of the provincial councils ... the 10 provinces will begin a major escalation of measures.” They did not elaborate.

Tied candidates: According to results released by the election commission based on 95 percent of votes cast, Maliki’s State of Law Alliance is neck-and-neck with the Iraqiya party of ex-premier Iyad Allawi, who is seen by his opponents in the south of the country as being a symbol of the return of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party. Allawi was a member of the party until the mid-1970s but left it and suffered intimidation tactics from Saddam’s regime while in exile in London. afp

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\03\25\story_25-3-2010_pg4_1