Abadi announces committee to investigate electoral fraud
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his Council of Ministers have ordered an investigation into reports of electoral fraud.
In a special meeting on Thursday, the Council of Ministers decided to form a committee to investigate the fraud allegations, a statement from Abadi’s office announced.
Committee members will include financial, intelligence, and security experts.
The committee will be given access to all documents related to the electoral process and will submit recommendations to the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Federal Supreme Court.
Parties across the board have reported fraud, complaining about lost and stolen votes in the new electronic voting and counting system. Iraq’s electoral commission has come under fire for its handling of the complaints.
The commission has refused to conduct a manual recount and this week cancelled ballots from 103 stations across Baghdad, Erbil, Anbar, Saladin, and Nineveh.
Most of the reports of fraud have come from Kirkuk where Arab and Turkmen voters have held 10 straight days of protests outside the electoral commission offices.
Gorran’s General Council on Thursday voted to boycott the parliament in protest. The matter now goes to the party’s National Council for a final decision – the council will meet on Saturday.
Five other Kurdish parties have also threatened to withdraw from the Iraqi political process.
In a special meeting on Thursday, the Council of Ministers decided to form a committee to investigate the fraud allegations, a statement from Abadi’s office announced.
Committee members will include financial, intelligence, and security experts.
The committee will be given access to all documents related to the electoral process and will submit recommendations to the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Federal Supreme Court.
Parties across the board have reported fraud, complaining about lost and stolen votes in the new electronic voting and counting system. Iraq’s electoral commission has come under fire for its handling of the complaints.
The commission has refused to conduct a manual recount and this week cancelled ballots from 103 stations across Baghdad, Erbil, Anbar, Saladin, and Nineveh.
Most of the reports of fraud have come from Kirkuk where Arab and Turkmen voters have held 10 straight days of protests outside the electoral commission offices.
Gorran’s General Council on Thursday voted to boycott the parliament in protest. The matter now goes to the party’s National Council for a final decision – the council will meet on Saturday.
Five other Kurdish parties have also threatened to withdraw from the Iraqi political process.