.Iraq still collecting ballots from around country
Associated Press Writer= BAGHDAD (AP) â Iraq's main Shiite party maintained Monday that it had finished first or second in most provinces in last weekend's vote, despite projections showing the group suffered a setback at the hands of secular parties and Shiite rivals.
An election commission official said it would take two or three more days to complete the count from Saturday's balloting, in which Iraqis in most of the country chose provincial councils.
Some partial and unofficial results leaked to Iraqi media suggest the public turned away from religious parties widely blamed for stoking sectarian tension.
Those religious parties include the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest Shiite group, which maintains links to both Iran and the U.S.
On Monday, however, the leader of the Council, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, disputed claims of a major setback, saying his party was leading in 11 of the 14 provinces where voting occurred.
"The Supreme Council is still a key player in the Iraqi arena, a role it has played since the struggle to rebuild the new Iraq with all of its challenges and complexities," al-Hakim said in a written statement.
Al-Hakim did not cite any figures or mention the provinces where his party was leading.
He blamed a modest turnout â 51 percent according to the election commission â on an election day vehicle ban that forced voters to walk long distances to their polling stations.
Mohammed al-Amjad, spokesman for Iraq's electoral commission, said it would take two or three more days to complete the count because of delays in transporting ballots to Baghdad.
He said no ballots had been received from four provinces, which he did not identify.
Al-Amjad also said no complaints of election violations have been received from political parties. They have until Tuesday to file complaints.
The elections took place without serious violence and were hailed as a major achievement by Iraqi officials seeking a return to stability nearly six years after the U.S.-led invasion.
On Monday, though, a roadside bomb targeting an American convoy exploded, said an Iraqi police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.
Two people were killed and six others were wounded, the officer said. There were no reported American causalities.
Guardian
An election commission official said it would take two or three more days to complete the count from Saturday's balloting, in which Iraqis in most of the country chose provincial councils.
Some partial and unofficial results leaked to Iraqi media suggest the public turned away from religious parties widely blamed for stoking sectarian tension.
Those religious parties include the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest Shiite group, which maintains links to both Iran and the U.S.
On Monday, however, the leader of the Council, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, disputed claims of a major setback, saying his party was leading in 11 of the 14 provinces where voting occurred.
"The Supreme Council is still a key player in the Iraqi arena, a role it has played since the struggle to rebuild the new Iraq with all of its challenges and complexities," al-Hakim said in a written statement.
Al-Hakim did not cite any figures or mention the provinces where his party was leading.
He blamed a modest turnout â 51 percent according to the election commission â on an election day vehicle ban that forced voters to walk long distances to their polling stations.
Mohammed al-Amjad, spokesman for Iraq's electoral commission, said it would take two or three more days to complete the count because of delays in transporting ballots to Baghdad.
He said no ballots had been received from four provinces, which he did not identify.
Al-Amjad also said no complaints of election violations have been received from political parties. They have until Tuesday to file complaints.
The elections took place without serious violence and were hailed as a major achievement by Iraqi officials seeking a return to stability nearly six years after the U.S.-led invasion.
On Monday, though, a roadside bomb targeting an American convoy exploded, said an Iraqi police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release information.
Two people were killed and six others were wounded, the officer said. There were no reported American causalities.
Guardian
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