BAGHDAD: Iraq鈥檚 prime minister said on Tuesday there were 鈥渄angerous violations鈥� in the May 12 parliamentary election won by a bloc led by cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr, a long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iran鈥檚 sway in Iraq.
Haider Al-Abadi told a news conference that a report presented to the government recommended a partial manual recount of the vote.
He warned that some members of Iraq鈥檚 electoral commission would be banned from traveling abroad without his permission.
The prime minister said he had initially been in favor of moving forward with the political process after the election because Iraq had a history of some violations that were usually worked out.
But Abadi said he was alarmed after studying the report鈥檚 findings.
Abadi鈥檚 stance raises the prospect of further uncertainty in Iraq at a time when political blocs were starting the complicated process of forming a new government, watched closely by Baghdad鈥檚 Western allies.
Sadr, who led two violent uprisings against US occupation troops after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, secured a surprise victory in the poll by tapping into resentment with Tehran鈥檚 deep influence in Iraq, its most important Arab ally.