BAGHDAD, June 24 (Xinhua) -- An Iraqi judicial panel decided on Sunday that the manual recount for the May 12 parliamentary elections over irregularities and fraud will only apply to suspect polling centers mentioned by official reports and complaints.
The panel of nine judges, who replaced the nine members of the Independent High Electoral Commission, made the decision of partial recount after a meeting earlier in the day, Layth Jabur Hamza, the spokesman of the panel, said in a statement.
On June 6, the outgoing parliament passed an amendment on the election law demanding manual recount of votes in all polling stations across Iraq over allegations of fraud and irregularities in the elections.
The parliament amendment was approved on June 21 by the country's federal court.
However, the panel of judges discussed the parliament law and reached an understanding that the recount would only be conducted for problematic ballots.
Hamza said the panel will instruct the directors of the polling stations mentioned in complaints and official reports to transfer the ballot boxes and related electronic devices under tight security measures to specified places in Baghdad.
"The location and time of manual recount will be determined later, and will be conducted with the presence of United Nations representatives, political entities and candidate agents," he said.
It is not yet clear to what extent the recount of votes will change the final results of the elections, but it would certainly delay the formation of the next government.
Many Iraqi parties, especially in the Kurdish region and the disputed areas, including Kirkuk Province, have complained about alleged irregularities and forgery in the parliamentary elections.
On May 12, millions of Iraqis went to 8,959 polling centers across the country to vote for their parliamentary representatives in the first general election after Iraq's historic victory over the Islamic State militant group last December.
