Iraq’s independent electoral commission has said that the announcement of the results of last Saturday’s referendum, initially mooted for Tuesday, will be delayed so as to provide the most precise data possible. The commission did not fix a new date.
But the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) deferment of the referendum seeking public approval of a newly drafted and bitterly contested constitution comes amid suspicions of vote rigging.
Iraqi election officials have begun a nationwide verification of results from the constitutional referendum because of ‘anomalies’ in most provinces, reports said.
Statistical irregularities in last week’s referendum could indicate fraud, the electoral commission said.
Chief electoral officer Adel Alami did not give details, but he said many provinces’ figures were either too high or too low by international standards.
Earlier an official told AFP on condition of anonymity: “We are not ruling out technical error or fraud, but for now it is only a question of anomalies.”
According to the AFP source, problems with initial figures transmitted to the central independent electoral commission were found in southern Shiite provinces as well as in Kurdish areas in the north, where ‘the figures were very high.’
These provinces on Saturday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the draft charter, which aims to lay the democratic foundations for a new Iraq following the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Earlier, United Nations election officials in Iraq said the vote had gone well, but some Sunni Arab politicians have alleged corrupt practices were allowed to boost the “yes” vote.
The referendum will only be deemed to have been successful and the draft constitution ratified if the majority of those who turn out to vote say “Yes”, and as long as two thirds of voters who cast a ballot in three of Iraq’s 18 provinces do not say “No”.
The IECI said votes in several governorates required “re-examination, comparison and verification because they are relatively high compared with international averages for elections”.
The commission said in some areas nearly all votes indicated a “yes”, and in others a “no”, and that in such circumstances the ballots would have to be audited, in line with international practice.
Iraqi election officials also queried US assertions - later retracted - that the draft constitution was likely to be approved.
During her visit to London last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said initial information from the field indicated the constitution would be backed.
Hussein Hindawi, an official at the commission, was quoted by the BBC as saying he was “surprised” by the statement. “As far as I know, she does not work at the IECI,” he added.
There was international approval that the vote went ahead relatively peacefully, and that turnout was high, even in Sunni areas where some groups urged a boycott.
But Iraqi officials had expected Sunnis, who boycotted a January election that then sapped their power to influence negotiations on the constitution in parliament, to take part in large numbers in the election expected on December 15.
The result was originally expected later this week, but the electoral commission warned it might now be put back several days.
But the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) deferment of the referendum seeking public approval of a newly drafted and bitterly contested constitution comes amid suspicions of vote rigging.
Iraqi election officials have begun a nationwide verification of results from the constitutional referendum because of ‘anomalies’ in most provinces, reports said.
Statistical irregularities in last week’s referendum could indicate fraud, the electoral commission said.
Chief electoral officer Adel Alami did not give details, but he said many provinces’ figures were either too high or too low by international standards.
Earlier an official told AFP on condition of anonymity: “We are not ruling out technical error or fraud, but for now it is only a question of anomalies.”
According to the AFP source, problems with initial figures transmitted to the central independent electoral commission were found in southern Shiite provinces as well as in Kurdish areas in the north, where ‘the figures were very high.’
These provinces on Saturday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the draft charter, which aims to lay the democratic foundations for a new Iraq following the ouster of Saddam Hussein’s regime.
Earlier, United Nations election officials in Iraq said the vote had gone well, but some Sunni Arab politicians have alleged corrupt practices were allowed to boost the “yes” vote.
The referendum will only be deemed to have been successful and the draft constitution ratified if the majority of those who turn out to vote say “Yes”, and as long as two thirds of voters who cast a ballot in three of Iraq’s 18 provinces do not say “No”.
The IECI said votes in several governorates required “re-examination, comparison and verification because they are relatively high compared with international averages for elections”.
The commission said in some areas nearly all votes indicated a “yes”, and in others a “no”, and that in such circumstances the ballots would have to be audited, in line with international practice.
Iraqi election officials also queried US assertions - later retracted - that the draft constitution was likely to be approved.
During her visit to London last week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said initial information from the field indicated the constitution would be backed.
Hussein Hindawi, an official at the commission, was quoted by the BBC as saying he was “surprised” by the statement. “As far as I know, she does not work at the IECI,” he added.
There was international approval that the vote went ahead relatively peacefully, and that turnout was high, even in Sunni areas where some groups urged a boycott.
But Iraqi officials had expected Sunnis, who boycotted a January election that then sapped their power to influence negotiations on the constitution in parliament, to take part in large numbers in the election expected on December 15.
The result was originally expected later this week, but the electoral commission warned it might now be put back several days.
