Iyad Allawi supports vote recount under international supervision

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Head of the al-Iraqiya List, Iyad Allawi, said on Tuesday that he supports the vote recount under a ‘tight’ international supervision, stressing that the outcome of the elections is clear. “Security authorities arrested my supporters before elections in Basra,” Allawi said at a press conference in Baghdad today. Allawi also underlined al-Iraqiya List’s constitutional right to form the coming government, calling for forming a national partnership government able to serve Iraqis. A panel had ordered a recount of ballots cast in Baghdad in Iraq’s March 7 election. Electoral commissioner Hamdiya al-Husseini said the manual recount would begin immediately but she was not sure how long it would take. The al-Iraqiya list of a former prime minister, Iyad Allawi, came first with 91 seats, according to preliminary results. Maliki’s State of Law won 89 seats while the Iraqi National Alliance got around 70. SH (P) 2