Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
BAGHDAD, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's leading Shiite alliance rejected
re-vote on Saturday and called for Sunni parties to accept the Dec. 15
election results.
"There will be no re-vote of the elections," Jawad al-Maliki, a senior
member of the Shiite alliance, told a news conference held here on
Saturday.
"Even if there is fraud in some polling stations, the commission can
cancel the results of these stations," he said.
"In the end, we have to accept the results and the will of the people,"
Maliki concluded.
Maliki also condemned "threats and using violence" by some political
parties rejecting the results of the elections designed to choose the
country's first full-term government since the U.S.- led invasion toppled
Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Meanwhile, Hussein al-Shahristani, another senior member of the Shiite
Alliance and deputy speaker of the outgoing parliament, echoed Maliki's
calls.
"There is no doubt that the elections were genuine and reflected the
will of the Iraqi people and the results should be respected," he said.
The Iraqi Electoral Commission announced the partial results of the Dec.
15 legislative elections on Monday, which showed that the Shiite coalition
won most of the votes in Baghdad and other Shiite provinces.
On Friday, thousands of Sunni Arabs demonstrated in the streets of
Baghdad against the partial results, accusing them of being fraudulent.
On Thursday, 33 Iraqi political parties decided to form a new bloc in
protest against the announced results and threatened to boycott the new
parliament if their complaints are not dealt with. Enditem
re-vote on Saturday and called for Sunni parties to accept the Dec. 15
election results.
"There will be no re-vote of the elections," Jawad al-Maliki, a senior
member of the Shiite alliance, told a news conference held here on
Saturday.
"Even if there is fraud in some polling stations, the commission can
cancel the results of these stations," he said.
"In the end, we have to accept the results and the will of the people,"
Maliki concluded.
Maliki also condemned "threats and using violence" by some political
parties rejecting the results of the elections designed to choose the
country's first full-term government since the U.S.- led invasion toppled
Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Meanwhile, Hussein al-Shahristani, another senior member of the Shiite
Alliance and deputy speaker of the outgoing parliament, echoed Maliki's
calls.
"There is no doubt that the elections were genuine and reflected the
will of the Iraqi people and the results should be respected," he said.
The Iraqi Electoral Commission announced the partial results of the Dec.
15 legislative elections on Monday, which showed that the Shiite coalition
won most of the votes in Baghdad and other Shiite provinces.
On Friday, thousands of Sunni Arabs demonstrated in the streets of
Baghdad against the partial results, accusing them of being fraudulent.
On Thursday, 33 Iraqi political parties decided to form a new bloc in
protest against the announced results and threatened to boycott the new
parliament if their complaints are not dealt with. Enditem