After over two months, Iraq’s Supreme Court ratifies results of October elections

Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court has ratified the preliminary results of the October parliamentary elections, rejecting earlier appeals against the outcome, including those filed by the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), better known by the Arabic name as Hashd al-Sha’abi.

“The Federal Supreme Court has ratified the results of the legislative elections” held on October 10, the Supreme Court’s media officer, whose name was not mentioned in the report, announced in a brief statement on Monday.

After a delay of more than two months, the ratification now paves the way for a fresh parliament to hold its inaugural session within two weeks.

The elections were originally planned to be held in 2022, but the date was brought forward in the wake of a mass protest movement that broke out in 2019 to call for economic reforms, better public services, and an effective fight against unemployment and corruption in state institutions.

The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and a number of major cities became tense after the preliminary results came out, with several political factions and their supporters in the country rejecting them as “fraudulent.”

Earlier in the day, Judge Jassim Mohammed said the Federal Court had dismissed appeals filed by the PMU leaders.

“The Federal Court has decided to reject the complaint aimed at not having the (election) results ratified, and to make the plaintiff bear the costs,” he said as he read out the ruling at the court headquarters in Baghdad. The judge also stressed, “The verdict is binding on all authorities.”

Delays in release of election results detrimental to Iraqi nation, not factions: Sadr

Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr says delays in the announcement of final results from the parliamentary elections will inflict losses on the Iraqi nation, not political factions.

The Fatah (Conquest) Alliance – the political arm of the multiparty PMU – managed to secure 17 seats, compared to the 48 it held in the outgoing parliament of 329 members.

Influential cleric Muqtada Sadr’s Sairoon coalition, Fatah’s biggest rival, won 73 seats, making his party the first bloc in parliament, and, thus, giving him considerable influence in forming a government.

Recently, leaders of the Fatah Alliance held a press conference during which they explained the reasons for their complaint, detailing irregularities that occurred during the October elections. They cited expert reports from a German company commissioned by the electoral commission to assess the conduct of the vote, recalling that the fingerprints of many voters could not be recognized during electronic voting. They also indicated the failure of an electronic device used for the ballot – the ‘C-1000.’

Protests continue in Iraq as various groups challenge parliamentary election results

Thousands of people demonstrate across Iraq to denounce the results of the parliamentary election recently held in the Arab country.

Back on November 13, Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the Fatah Alliance, said he was confident the October vote had been rigged, stressing that the possibility of interference by the Israeli regime cannot be ruled out.

The vote took place under a new election law that divided the country into smaller constituencies – another demand put forth by Iraqi protesters – and allowed for the participation of more independent candidates.

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