Iraq Reports 101 Election Complaints as New Government Formation Begins
Jumana Al-Ghalai, the official spokesperson for Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission, announced on Thursday that the commission has received a total of 101 complaints related to the parliamentary elections held on Tuesday.
Al-Ghalai confirmed in a press release that these complaints are categorized into 44 concerning the voting of military and security personnel as well as displaced individuals, and 57 related to general voting issues. She noted that all complaints will be "classified by the commission."
The commission will categorize these complaints into three severity levels:
Green, Yellow, and Red.
Green and Yellow complaints pertain to the voting process within polling centers or their vicinity and do not impact the overall results.
Red complaints _if deemed valid_ necessitate a recount and verification of votes in the affected area and could potentially alter the election results.
The commission is expected to categorize these complaints in the coming days, with judicial authorities set to announce their final stance within 10 days.
In this context, the Independent Electoral Commission announced on Wednesday that the Reconstruction and Development Alliance, led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, has secured the top position in the parliamentary elections, receiving 1,317,346 votes to become the largest bloc in the new parliament.
In his first comments following the preliminary results, al-Sudani stated that his alliance is "open to all national forces without exception and will work in a spirit of objective and legal responsibility that honors the sacrifices of the Iraqi people."
The Iraqi judiciary emphasized the importance of swift discussions among the winning blocs to form a government, highlighting that constitutional steps following the confirmation of results include:
1 _ The commission will submit a request to President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid to convene the new parliament within 15 days.
2 _ The first session will be chaired by the oldest member, and nominations for the parliament chair and deputy will be opened.
3 _ A new president will be elected within 30 days.
4 _ The largest bloc will nominate a candidate to form the government within 15 days, with the cabinet needing to be presented to parliament within 30 days.
Sources indicated that these constitutional timelines are typically extended to four months but can be shortened to expedite government formation, as seen in previous legislative terms.
