Iraqi Parliament Votes for Manual Recount of All Votes in May Election - Reports

CAIRO (Sputnik) - The Iraqi parliament voted on Wednesday in favor of a manual recount of all votes cast in the May 12 parliamentary vote amid numerous reported irregularities registered during the election, Rudaw reported.

According to Rudaw news agency, the Independent High Elections Commission (IHEC) will have to conduct a manual recount across the country, and the parliament also decided to suspend the commission's leadership and appoint nine judges instead of commissioners.

Parliamentary elections were held in Iraq on May 12 for the first time since the country was liberated from the Daesh*.

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The turnout amounted to 44.52 percent, while some 10.7 million people participated in the vote. Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr's Sairun alliance won the most parliamentary seats (54), with the Conquest (Fatah) Alliance led by Hadi Amiri gaining 47 seats, and incumbent Prime Minister Haider Abadi's Victory Alliance earning 42 seats in the 329-seat parliament.

READ MORE: Sadr's Win in Iraq Vote Gives Saudis Chance to Power in Baghdad — Ex-US Envoy

After the votes were counted Abadi said that the checking revealed serious violations and recommended a partial recount. The election was held with the use of electronic vote counting devices.

The winning coalition of people's deputies will have to form a government that will rule the country for the next four years.

*Daesh — a terrorist group, outlawed in Russia