9 provinces demand manual counting

BASRA /Iraqi News Representatives of nine provinces from mid and southern Iraq met in Basra on Tuesday to demand a manual count of the votes. “These provinces’ governors and heads of provincial councils participated in the meeting,” Hashil Leeaybi, the Basra provincial media director, told Iraqi News. He said that computer-based counting of votes led to rigging in the results of Iraq’s parliamentary election. The oil-rich city of Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad. MH (P)/SR 1