Iraqis have ratified their new constitution, the results of a referendum showed on Tuesday, October 25, amidst cries of vote rigging.
Electoral Commission officials told a news conference 78 percent of voters backed the charter and 21 percent opposed it, Reuters reported.
Of 18 provinces, only two recorded “No” votes greater than two thirds, one province short of a veto.
….Saleh Al-Mutlaq, the leader of the Sunni umbrella body Iraqi National Dialogue Council, cried foul.
â??The results have been rigged in Mosul, Nineveh, Diyala and most of the southern provinces,â? charged Mutlaq in statements to Al-Jazeera television.He said vote counting is illegal because it has taken place in Baghdad and not in each of the 18 provinces.
â??We call for a fresh referendum under the supervision of the United Nations and Iraqi judiciary,â? he said in a fiery mood. â??Only then we will recognize the results.â?Â
Mutlaq further said the Iraqi people are â??disappointedâ? at the lack of transparency.
â??We cast our votes though we knew for sure that the results would be rigged and now our complaints would fall on deaf ears.â?Â
Perspectives:
78% of those those that voted have approved the constitution.
Out of 15.4 million registered voters around 12 million Iraqis, predominantly Shi’a and Kurds, of a population of 27 million voted.
In other words the draft was accepted with about 44% of the country’s approval.