Iraqi politicians demand election re-run after fire at ballot centre adds to chaos after vote


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Some of Iraq's top politicians demanded new elections on Monday after a warehouse meant for storing ballot papers caught fire, an act described as a "plot" against democracy by the country's prime minister.

The latest setback follows weeks of rancour over the May 12 vote, which delivered a surprise win for allies of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr.

The fire at a ballot storage site in Baghdad's eastern district of Al Russafa added to allegations of fraud and vote rigging and a poor turnout of less than 45 percent of eligible voters.

"Burning election warehouses... is a plot to harm the nation and its democracy," said Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, whose allies placed a disappointing third in the election.

"We will take all necessary measures and strike with an iron fist all who undermine the security of the nation and its citizens," he added.

The storage site went up in flames on Sunday afternoon ahead of a planned recount prompted by alleged irregularities.
Mr Al Abadi's apparent claim of arson – he ordered investigators to prepare a detailed report on how the blaze started – was supported by the country's Interior Minister Qassem Al Araji.

"There is no doubt that it was a deliberate act and I am personally following up on the investigation with the police and the committee tasked with probing the fire," Mr Al Araji said.

State television later reported that a court had ordered the arrest of four people accused of setting fire to the storage site - three policemen and an employee of the Independent High Election Commission (IHEC).

It is still unclear whether the voting papers have been destroyed.

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Read more:

Comment: Confusion threatens post-election hopes for stability in Iraq

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Interior Ministry spokesman General Saad Maan said the site was divided into four warehouses and only one – housing electronic equipment and documents – had burned down, he said.

Mr Al Abadi said that a government investigation had found serious violations of fraud in the election. He has also blamed IHEC for most of the errors.

The outgoing parliamentary speaker, Salim Al Jubouri, who was not re-elected in last month's poll, has demanded fresh elections.

"The crime of burning ballot-box storage warehouses in the Rusafa area is a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes, lying to the Iraqi people and changing their will and choices," Mr Al Jubouri said in a statement.

His call was supported by Vice President Ayad Allawi, the leader of the electoral alliance that Mr Jubouri ran under.

"Based on what happened yesterday and the low voter turn out, a new process must be found to restore the confidence of the Iraqi people in the political and electoral process and to involve them in the country's decision making procedure," the spokesman of the Al Wataniya bloc, led by Mr Allawi, told The National.

In this photo provided by the Iraqi government, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, right, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hold a press conference in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on May 20, 2018.
In this photo provided by the Iraqi government, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, right, and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr hold a press conference in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad on May 20, 2018.

In contrast, election victor Mr Al Sadr urged against any new polls, urging Iraqis to unite.

"Is it not time to stand as one for building and reconstruction instead of burning ballet boxes or repeating elections just for one seat or two?" Mr Al Sadr said, adding that individuals must "stop fighting for seats, posts, gains, influence, power and ruler ship."

One of Mr Al Sadr's close aides, Dhiaa Al Asadi, said the fire "was carried out to cancel the election or destroy the stuffed ballots counted among the results."

Mr Al Sadr, who has ruled himself out of becoming prime minister, once led a militia that fought against American troops.

The election chaos follows the appointment of nine judges to supervise a manual vote recount which had been ordered by Iraq's outgoing parliament.

The Supreme Council of Justice on Monday appointed a chairman and deputy to take over the country's electoral commission, following the allegations of fraud.

The electoral board of commissioners has said it will appeal against the law forcing the recount.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO

BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

Politics in the West
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

The biog

Siblings: five brothers and one sister

Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota

Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym

Favourite place: UAE

Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera

What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books

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Name: Kumulus Water
 
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Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
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Jos Buttler, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, Tabraiz Shamsi, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

LAST-16 FIXTURES

Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
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  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Biog

Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara

He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada

Father of two sons, grandfather of six

Plays golf once a week

Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family

Walks for an hour every morning

Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India

2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business

 

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Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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