Iraqi PM Abadi labels ballot-burning 'deliberate'; voters are losing trust
“According to preliminary reports we have received during the investigations, the fire was deliberate … the proof is that the fire did not start from one point but multiple points,” Abadi said on Tuesday during a weekly conference.
He accused unnamed perpetrators of “destroying political activities and causing people to lose trust in all elections.”
A fire broke out at a warehouse of the electoral commission on Sunday. The warehouse only contained votes cast in the predominately Shiite al-Rusafa area of Baghdad. Four people, including three police officers, were detained on Tuesday.
“The Attorney General shall initiate a penal action against all those responsible for the violation of the electoral process in accordance with the law and [we] call upon the Supreme Judicial Council to resolve criminal cases in order to ensure the safety of the elections and find and prosecute those involved,” said Abadi. He convened a meeting with the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
Guards and employees working at the electoral commission’s warehouse were warned to leave in advance of the fire breaking out, Rudaw learned.
“This was totally the responsibility of the high election commission. The security forces are not responsible of the inside the warehouses, but outside the warehouses,” confirmed Abadi.
Regarding an election repeat, Abadi who heads the Nasr (Victory) Alliance said he does not endorse it.
“I do not support the re-run of election. It is a legislative matter,” he said, adding that there is a judiciary body inside the electoral commission, and then the results should be approved by Iraq’s Federal Court.
Iraq held a parliamentary election on May 12. Abadi's list finished third, according to disputed results released by Iraq's High Independent Election Commission.
Turkish election 'propaganda'
Regarding Turkey’s incursions into Iraq, he said that they are “observing the situation,” calling Qandil Mountain “complex.”
“Mount Qandil has been a problem since the ‘60s and ‘70s … because the mountain is very complex. Its population is very small ... part of the mountain is located inside Turkey and a larger part is on the Iraqi side.”
He noted previous governments were not able to control it.
Abadi denied any agreements with Turkey regarding PKK.
“There has been no agreement, discussion, cooperation with the Turkish side on this regard,” said the PM.
Abadi underscored what Turkey is doing is not new; the issue has come to the forefront in Turkish previous campaigning, calling it “election propaganda.”
Turkey will hold presidential and parliamentary snap elections on June 24.