Sadr and independents biggest winners under Iraq's new election law
The new election law was beneficial for large political blocs and independents, but it also harmed a number of large blocs whose presence in the new parliament has become almost marginal.
The results of Iraq's recent parliamentary elections came as a surprise to all, winners and losers included, indicating a new political era in the country.
The Shiite Coordination Framework (a group including armed Shiite parties and forces, mostly from the Fatah Alliance) issued a statement Oct. 12 in which it questioned the results of the elections held Oct. 10 and threatened to take action.
Less than an hour later, Abu Ali al-Askari, a security and military official in the Hezbollah Brigades, issued a statement challenging the elections and calling on “the armed resistance factions to prepare for a critical stage.”
The Independent Electoral Commission results were somewhat shocking to political parties, including the Iranian-aligned Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri, which won 14 seats after it had 48 seats in the previous session. Meanwhile, the Alliance of National State Forces led by Ammar al-Hakim, who is allied with former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, won only five seats, while Hakim alone had 19 seats in the previous session.
