Updated on
Summary
A manual recount of some of the vote casted during Baghdad in Iraq's March election has begun in the capital. The incumbent Prime Minister Nouri Maliki demanded for the recount in the province, alleging the electronic system of counting was flawed. The March election was narrowly won by opposition cadidate Iyad Allawi and his Iraqiyya bloc, but neither party contesting the election won majority to form a government. The recount may affect 68 seats and could materially change the result. Election officials will recount two million votes. Mr Maliki secured the vote in Baghdad, taking 26 seats to Mr Allawi's 24, but it is possible that the recount will give him a wider winning margin in the capital and overturn the national result. The recount would further delay the formation of a coalition government. It is pertinent to note that the Obama administration has said it aims to withdraw nearly all of its troops by next year.
