Early returns in Iraqi elections

December 20, 2005

The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) reported uncertified early returns in the Iraqi legislative election. The preliminary numbers indicate that religious parties have done well, winning up 80 percent of the vote in some provinces. In Baghdad province, the Shia United Iraqi Alliance leads with 58% of the vote. The United Alliance had received 1,398,778 votes, followed by the Sunni Arab Iraqi Accordance Front with 454,107 votes, and the Iraqi National List ticket of Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister, with 330,082 votes.

In the Kurdish dominated Northern provinces of Dohuk, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah, the Kurdistan Coalition List had received between 87% and 95% of votes cast. In the southern province of Basrah the Shia United Iraqi Alliance held a commanding lead with 615,255 votes. Allawi's group was in second place with 87,538 votes, while the Iraqi Accordance Front trailed with 37,098.

According to the IECI, these preliminary results are subject to the adjudication of complaints by the IECI Board of Commissioners. Following the adjudication of complaints, only results certified by the IECI Board of Commissioners will be considered as final. Election officials are investigating more than 1,000 complaints about irregularities, 20 of them considered serious. Final results will not be released until early January. Abdul Husain Hindawi, the head of the IECI dismissed calls for a re-vote by Adnan al-Dulaimi, one of the leaders of the National Concord Front coalition.