The Iraqi Parliament has declared that the legislative elections aimed at reviving its functioning, were irregular. Parliament has revoked the Electoral Commission and has called for the votes to be recounted.

Violence has broken out in Baghdad, resulting in 18 deaths.

Although Moqtada el-Sadr (left in the photo above), winner of the elections that had been annulled, has denounced the manoeuvre of the outgoing parliament, he has appealed to the Iraqi people to lay down their weapons.

A fire has ravaged one of the four warehouses where machines for voting and ballot papers are stored. However, it does not seem that this criminal act can prevent the manual recounting of votes.

The outgoing Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi, has denounced the parliamentarians who refuse to admit their defeat and intend to proceed to another general elections instead of recounting the votes. It is the Supreme Court alone that has the power to annul the entire ballot.

Moqtada el-Sadr has announced that he has enlarged the coalition that he formed with the communists, bringing in the Alliance for Conquest. This coalition, came second in the elections, and is composed of former pro-Iranian fighters and anti-jihadists. In the new Parliament, the new coalition now has 141 of the 165 seats needed to obtain a majority.

Translation
Anoosha Boralessa