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Monday, March 29, 2010    

Iraq braces for trouble in aftermath of close vote

BAGHDAD — Sources said police and security forces have been on alert for the prospect of fighting between supporters of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and challenger former Prime Minister Iyad Alawi.   

Alawi has been declared the winner of the elections, which has sparked demands by Al Maliki for a recount.

So far, there have not been reports of confrontations between Al Maliki and Alawi loyalists. Al Maliki, head of the ruling Dawa Party, directly controls the intelligence community and special operations forces while Alawi's party was said to have thousands of members with weapons.


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On March 26, Alawi, supported by Sunnis as well as Shi'ites, was deemed the winner, edging out Al Maliki by two seats for control of the 325-seat parliament. Al Maliki has charged fraud, a claim rejected by the United Nations.

"The Iraqi people have blessed the Iraqiya bloc by choosing it," Alawi said on March 27. "We are open to all powers starting with the State of Law bloc of brother Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki and the INA and the Kurdish alliance and other blocs."

"We warn that this struggle will affect the security situations, particularly as the capital Baghdad sees frequent violations," former parliamentarian Asi Ahmed said.

"All the ministry's units are in a state of alert and readiness and deployed in the country in case hostile elements exploit the current situation," Iraqi Interior Undersecretary Adnan Asadi said.

Political sources said members of Iraq's election commission have received threats. They said Al Maliki's senior aides were heard to have issued warnings of violence.

"The recent statements might create problems in a changing situation like that of Iraq," Alawi adviser Thair Naqib said. "We urge everybody to refrain from statements that create more tension and to act calmly and peacefully."

Mass-casualty strikes in Iraq have resumed in the wake of the elections. On March 27, at least 60 people were killed in twin bombings near a restaurant north of Baghdad. On the following day, a political faction leader on Alawi's list of parliamentary candidates was killed in another bombing.

Al Maliki loyalists stressed that the prime minister did not seek to encourage violence. They said the prime minister, however, wants the elections commission to demonstrate greater transparency in explaining the results.

"His [Al Maliki] warning of a deterioration in the security situation meant that people's votes should not be confiscated," Haidar Abadi, a leading member of Dawa, said. "If they were, then this would create tension."



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