A day after an Iraqi court ordered a partial recount of ballots cast in last month's national elections, the man whose political alliance won the most votes called Tuesday for a broader recount of ballots, a move that could deepen the country's instability before the planned U.S. military withdrawal.
The Iraqiya alliance's leader, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, said his group had submitted evidence to the court detailing instances of fraud that occurred in the days after the March 7 parliamentary elections in several provinces in southern Iraq, a region where Allawi fared poorly. The court has not issued a decision on the claims, he said.
On Monday, the court ordered a recount of votes in Baghdad Province, the country's most populous, after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed the results there, saying there had been widespread ballot manipulation. Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition narrowly defeated Iraqiya in Baghdad, winning 26 seats to 24 seats. Al-Maliki's advisers have said they had expected a far more comfortable victory there. Overall, Iraqiya won 91 seats to 89 seats for State of Law. NEW YORK TIMES
