Rejecting the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections held on 10 October, Hundreds of supporters of Iraq’s powerful Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), went to the street.
The Fatah Alliance, the political arm of the multiparty PMF, won about 15 seats in the vote, according to preliminary results, down from 48 in the 2018 elections.
The protesters demanded a manual recount of the votes, saying the results had been “forged” by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s government and “external parties”, in reference to the United States.
Security forces imposed strict measures on the roads leading to the entrances of Baghdad’s Green Zone yesterday morning in case of protests or attacks.
Over the past two days, Baghdad and other provinces in the south of the country have witnessed sporadic protests held by groups who reject the early election results.
Last Wednesday, Shia forces warned that proceeding with the results threatens civil peace in the country, raising fears of a possible outbreak of hostilities.
On Tuesday, the Election Commission announced that the judiciary had rejected all 1,360 appeals filed against the partial preliminary announcement of the results.
According to the preliminary results, the Sadr bloc affiliated with Shia leader Muqtada Al-Sadr received the highest number of seats with 73 out of a possible 329. A coalition will not need to be formed to secure the 165 seats required to form a government.