Iraqis Renew Protests Against Election Results
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Iraq saw today clashes between demonstrators protesting against the election results and the riot police at the gate of the Green Zone in Baghdad.
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Iraqi demonstrators during protests in the Green Zone, Baghdad on November 5, 2021 (Credit: Social Media)
Forces opposing the parliamentary elections result in Iraq gathered at the gates of the Green Zone, Baghdad with the aim of closing it, Al Mayadeen correspondent reported.
مراسل #الميادين: المواجهات بين المحتجين و #الشرطة العراقية في #بغداد متواصلة منذ أكثر من ساعة.
— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) November 5, 2021
#العراق pic.twitter.com/vMe4ePhoRi
Footage from the demonstrations in Baghdad.
The security forces dispersed demonstrators using tear gas and water cannons, and the latter responded by throwing stones at the riot police.
The Iraqi security forces had been deployed heavily in the vicinity of the Green Zone since early Friday in preparation for the protests.
As per the latest from our correspondent, the situation in Baghdad went back to normal following the clashes between the security forces and the demonstrators after several attempts at easing tensions.
The protest today had been called on by the Higher Committee for Protests, citing forging as the reason behind Friday's demonstration.
The committee labeled today "the Friday of the Last Chance," and the demonstration came as part of the committee's rejection of the parliamentary elections' results, which have been under heavy fire for alleged forgery and fraud.
The Independent High Electoral Commission, which supervised the manual recount, had announced that there had been no change in the results nor evidence of fraud or forgery.
Several political figures in Iraq rejected the violence used Friday in the face of the demonstrators, including Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq Secretary-General Qais Khazali, who condemned the usage of live ammunition against peaceful demonstrators and called for the prosecution of police officers who killed and injured protestors.
The official also called on protestors not to resort to violence but maintain the peaceful aspect of their demonstrations so as not to cause their demands to lose their legitimacy.
Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi directed an investigation into Friday's incidents and called on the political parties of Iraq to commit themselves to easing tensions and resorting to dialogue.
There have been several protests in Iraq in rejection of the results, and The Higher Committee for Protests urged the electoral body to opt for manually counting and sorting votes in any future elections. The committee also called for revising the electoral law in Iraq.
