The Financial Times, March 11 2010 – A leading coalition of Opposition parties has alleged fraud in Iraq’s general election, as the first preliminary results began to emerge on Thursday.
Iraqiya, a “list” of secular parties led by Iyad Allawi, a former prime minister, said that it had found marked voting papers that had been thrown away and hidden ballot boxes.
It also alleged that officials were interfering with the count.
However, Adnan al-Janabi, a senior member of Iraqiya, said the extent of the alleged fraud was not clear.
“When there is tampering, it can be from zero to infinity,” he said. “We have recorded dozens of violations and there is interference from some officials.”
A western diplomat said that there had been no claims of mass rigging so far, but he cautioned that “nobody is going to rush to endorse” the electoral process.
First results from two southern provinces, dominated by the Shia majority, showed a lead for State of Law, the alliance led by Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister. Iraqiya, meanwhile, was ahead in two provinces north of Baghdad.
Turnout in Sunday’s election for a new 325-member parliament was placed at 62 per cent, but voting was marred by a series of bomb attacks that killed at least 37 people.
There are 86 political coalitions, or lists, contesting the elections, but State of Law and Iraqiya appear to be the two frontrunners in what is being described as highly competitive race.
The release of full preliminary results, which was to be made when 30 per cent of the vote had been counted in each of Iraq’s 18 provinces, has already been delayed and it could be some time before a winner emerges.
Mr Maliki, a Shia, was expected to perform well in the predominantly Shia south and parts of Baghdad. Mr Allawi is also a Shia, but his list includes a number of Sunni Arab parties. Iraqiya is expected to receive strong support in Sunni-dominated areas in the north and west, as well as Sunni neighbourhoods of the capital.
However, no group is expected to win an overall majority and the hard bargaining to create a coalition government could take weeks or months.
“All sides are talking to all sides, so every option is on the table,” said a western diplomat.
The reaction of the losers to defeat will be a key indicator of the health of Iraq’s fledgling democracy.
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