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."