BAGHDAD — Iraqi member of parliament Jassim al-Bayati told the press that a number of parliamentary blocs want to put to a vote an amendment to Iraq's election law on June 4. The amendment would call for a manual recount of votes from the country's recent parliamentary elections — a move that could lead to the total or partial cancellation of election results. This comes after parliament voted May 28 to cancel the votes of Iraqi expatriates and institute a recount of 10% of the total number of votes.
However, Riyadh al-Badran, the head of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), believes that the total or partial cancellation of the election results could lead to a “civil war.” Badran said in a May 29 television interview that, based on the electoral law, which gives Iraqi expatriates the right to vote, the cancellation of votes from abroad “is not feasible.”
