Baghdad, March 21: The bloc led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s main rival on Sunday accused him of making a “clear threat” against the election commission by demanding a recount of votes from the March 7 polls.
“This is a clear threat against the commission that aims to put pressure on it, in order to carry out fraud in favour of (Maliki’s) State of Law Alliance” said Intisar Allawi, a senior candidate of the Iraqiya bloc headed by Iyad Allawi.
She added that Maliki’s statement Sunday calling for a manual recount was a “contradiction” that was fuelled by news that Iraqiya had taken the lead in the nationwide vote tally.
“While he says that the election is accurate, fair and transparent, when Iraqiya takes the lead, he accuses the commission,” said Intisar Allawi, a relative of Iraqiya’s leader.
She noted that a manual recount “would mean a delay of the results for several months. This would lead to a political vacuum that would affect the security situation.”
Latest figures by Iraq’s election commission and based on 92 percent of ballots counted show State of Law trailing Iraqiya by 7,928 votes.
Iyad Allawi told the BBC on Saturday that his priority would be to “purge the armed forces and secret services of sectarian elements” if he should form Iraq’s next government.
The police force was “riddled with sectarianism,” he charged, pinning much of the blame on Maliki with whom he said he would refuse to work in a coalition unless the current premier changed his outlook.
—Agencies