Nationwide Recount Showed Only Minor Changes
Over the weekend, the Iraqi Supreme Court has ratified the results of the May parliamentary election, allowing a coalition government to be formed. Final results of a mandated recount were released on August 10. Iraqi ballots rescued from a warehouse fire
The recount changed only a handful of seats, and while it was the result of substantial allegations of misconduct, the final results of the major election blocs were materially unchanged, with the same blocs remaining at the top in seats.
Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s bloc has the largest plurality, and has tentative deals with a series of different parties on forming a government. It is still not clear which of those parties will coexist with one another to allow a majority government to be formed.
Still, there is little doubt that Sadr’s bloc is going to be ruling Iraq. Sadr is demanding that the next prime minister have no connection to any political parties, and that many cabinet members should be technocrats.