Sunnis Allege Fraud, Demand New Iraq Elections

"BAGHDAD, Dec. 20 -- Sunni and secular political parties angrily claimed Tuesday that Iraq's national election was rigged, threatening to leave in shambles the delicate plan to bring Iraq's wary factions together in a new government.

Faced with an emerging strong victory by the religious Shiite group that has close ties to Iran, the minority Sunnis demanded a new election and hinted darkly that the violence of the insurgency would be accelerated by the suspicions of fraud.

"What would we tell those whom we indirectly convinced to stop the attacks during the election period?" demanded Adnan Dulaimi, a chief of the main Sunni coalition. "What would we tell those people who wanted to boycott [the election] and we convinced them to participate?"

The preliminary results, he said, are "not in the interest of stability of the country."

Former prime minister Ayad Allawi, whose secular slate appeared likely to take a small, fourth-place role in the government, also questioned the results of Thursday's polling and called a meeting for Wednesday of other groups angry with the outcome."
WaPo