Iraqi Cleric Moqtada Sadr's Bloc Declared Biggest Election Winner
NDTV
Shiite Muslim firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr's movement has emerged as the biggest bloc with 12 seats.
Iraq's Shiite Muslim firebrand cleric Moqtada Sadr was confirmed Tuesday as the biggest winner of last month's parliamentary election, that had sparked charges of voter fraud from pro-Iranian factions.
The announcement of the results had been put off for weeks amid tensions over allegations of fraud and violence, that culminated on November 7 in an assassination attempt targeting Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi, from which he emerged unharmed. The attack was not claimed by any group.
Sadr's movement won nearly a fifth of seats -- 73 out of the assembly's total 329 -- the election commission said, after a lengthy manual recount of hundreds of ballot boxes.
Trailing behind Sadr's bloc in the Shiite camp with 17 seats was the Fatah (Conquest) Alliance, the political arm of the pro-Iran Hashed al-Shaabi former paramilitary force, which is now integrated into Iraq's state security apparatus.
