Iraq: Protests Expand over Election Results, and Demand to Hold Fraudsters Accountable

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Several Iraqi regions witnessed today escalating demonstrations rejecting the results of the parliamentary elections, as demonstrators took to the streets in several governorates, including Babil, Diyala, Basra, and Baghdad.

Al-Mayadeen correspondent reported that a number of roads were blocked by protesters in Diyala governorate, especially the Baghdad-Kirkuk road.

Protests against the results of the recent legislative elections have erupted in the city of Basra.

Al-Mayadeen's correspondent pointed out that the protesters were demanding a manual recount of the votes. The demonstrations pointed fingers at the United States, for interfering in the elections.

Al-Mayadeen's reporter explained that "the area of ​​the protests is expanding gradually, while slogans call for the prosecution of those responsible for fraud," adding that there is an "intense security presence in the Green Gate area amid the expansion of the protests."

محافظة البصرة الان
نزول عدد من المتظاهرين واحتجاجات عارمة تطال المحافظة رفضا لنتائج الانتخابات#الكاظمي_سرق_صوتي pic.twitter.com/gRb5vbyp8x

— Zainb Altamimi 2 (@zainb_altamimi) October 18, 2021

Yesterday's Protests in Iraq

It is noteworthy that yesterday, popular movements began in several areas in Basra Governorate to protest the elections' process and results.

Yesterday, the Iraqi Electoral Commission said that "receipt of appeals will continue for 3 days; then, they will be considered by the Board of Commissioners for 7 days, and then by the judiciary for 10 days," noting that "the results of the appeals will be announced, and the names of the winning representatives will follow.

For his part, the head of Iraq's Hezbollah Brigades security apparatus, Abou Ali Al-Askari, considered that the elections that took place in Iraq last week were fraudulent. Al-Askari demanded that Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi be put on trial for his actions, the latest of which "is high treason for rigging the elections."

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Earlier, the Coordination Framework in Iraq, which includes several electoral blocs, announced its rejection of the parliamentary elections' results and held the High Elections Commission responsible for the failure of the electoral process and its mismanagement.