Iraqi capital Baghdad – Prominent Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr’s bloc was declared the winner of the October legislative election.
Following weeks of recounting and heightened rejection from the defeated parties, Iraq’s independent election commission released the final results on Tuesday.
Baghdad, Nineveh, Erbil, Kirkuk, and Basra all gained seats as a consequence of the appeals and recounting process in the capital.
“We have committed ourselves to dealing with the election results in accordance with the law, and with utmost integrity and impartiality,” said Jalil Adnan Khalaf, chairman of the election commission’s Board of Commissioners, at a press conference.
The election results have verified al-victory, Sadr’s a prominent Shia cleric whose political bloc, the Sadrist Movement, won 73 of the 329 seats in the new parliament.
Despite its repeated calls for a recount over alleged “fraud,” the Al-Fatah alliance, whose main components are militia groups associated with Iran’s Popular Mobilization Forces, sustained its devastating loss and stole 17 seats — no change from the initial results.
The Taqadum, or Progress Party, led by current Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, a Sunni, maintained its 37-seat majority. The State of Law party, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, lost two seats and will now have 33 seats in parliament.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) won 31 seats, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) took 18 seats.
The final tally showed voter turnout at 44%, the lowest since Saddam Hussein was deposed and a new political system established in 2003 following a US-led invasion.
“Now Fatah will need to decide whether they accept results and negotiate on government formation or escalate their rejection,” wrote Sajad Jiyad, a fellow at the Century Foundation.
“Sadr also has to decide whether he pursues a majority government at risk of failing and seeing a strong rival block form, or accept a coalition along the status quo.
“A new government or a PM could still be months away,” he added.
