GPS News  
IRAQ WARS
Sadr strengthens legislative bloc ahead of Iraq poll recount
 by Staff Writers
 Baghdad (AFP) June 8, 2018

Iraq's civilian death toll drops by nearly 80 percent: reports
Baghdad (AFP) June 9, 2018 - The number of Iraqi civilians killed in acts of violence since the beginning of the year has significantly dropped, largely due to defeat of the Islamic State group, United Nations and a monitor have said.

Reports released this week by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Iraq Body Count database there was an 80 percent drop in civilian deaths in the first five months of 2018 compared to the same period last year.

UNAMI said 477 Iraqis were killed in acts of violence since the beginning of the year compared to 2,014 in the first five months of 2017, a drop of 76.3 percent.

The number of wounded during the same period dropped from 2,977 to 939, a decrease of 68.4 percent, it said.

The London-based Iraq Body Count, which tracks violent deaths in the country, gave similar figures.

The number of civilian deaths from political and religious violence dropped from 7,708 in the first five months of 2017 to 1,818 during the same period in 2018 -- a decrease of 76.4 percent.

In May Iraq held parliamentary elections without any major security incident, a first since the 2003 US-led invasion and ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein.

And so far, the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, which started in mid-May, has gone on without major violence unlike previous years when it was rocked by deadly attacks.

Iraq claimed victory over IS in December after pushing the jihadists out of their final holdouts along the border with Syria.

But the group retains the capacity to strike despite losing control of vast swathes of Iraqi territory it seized in 2014 and still clings to pockets of desert in war-torn Syria.

Nationalist Moqtada Sadr, whose bloc won the largest share of seats in Iraq's May legislative elections, has strengthened his parliamentary position by forming an alliance with two other lists.

The former militia leader reached a coalition agreement on Thursday with Shiite Ammar al-Hakim's Al-Hikma list and the secular outgoing vice-president Iyad Allawi, whose list was comprised largely of Sunnis.

Sadr's move comes after parliament voted on Wednesday for a manual recount, cancelled expatriates' votes and sacked the electoral commission, amid mounting allegations of fraud surrounding the May 12 poll.

His strengthened bloc gives Sadr around 100 seats, but not enough to generate a majority in the 329 seat parliament.

Iraq's political system is designed to ensure that no one person or party can dominate, leading to extended post-election horse trading between multiple factions -- a process that hasn't been interrupted by the order for a recount.

Sadr's enhanced bloc is calling for economic reform and decentralisation. It also says it opposes "politicising administrative and military institutions".

Iran-backed parliamentary rivals could nullify Sadr, who has called for his country to be more independent from both Iran and the US.

When initial results were announced, influential Iranian General Ghassem Soleimani came to Baghdad in a bid to rally rival Shiite factions against Sadr.

Soleimani met outgoing Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose list secured 42 seats, former anti-jihadist fighters from the paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi units (47 seats) and former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki (26 seats).

If these groups form an alliance, they would take 115 seats -- enough to form a government, according to Iraq's Constitution.

Meanwhile "logistical preparations" for the manual recount have begun at the electoral commission's headquarters, Iraq's Superior Council of Magistracy said.

The electoral commission has been dismissed and some members may face fraud charges, authorities have warned.

The commission says it will take legal action to challenge the decision to dismiss it.


Related Links
 Iraq: The first technology war of the 21st century

Thanks for being here;
 We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal
 		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly

paypal only


IRAQ WARS
Iraq parliament orders full election recount
 Baghdad (AFP) June 6, 2018
 Iraq's parliament Wednesday ordered a manual recount of the May 12 legislative elections and sacked the commission which oversaw the polls that resulted in a surprise victory for a populist Shiite cleric. After several failed attempts because of a lack of quorum, outgoing MPs met to order a recount at all polling stations, covering almost 11 million votes, in response to charges of electoral fraud. The nine-member independent commission was dismissed and is to be replaced by judges. Confusio ... read more
Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.


Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

IRAQ WARS
Scientists boost crop production by 47 percent by speeding up photorespiration

 Bayer to ditch Monsanto name after mega-merger

 Alibaba shows off automated wine store in Hong Kong

 Sugarcane pest produces foam to protect itself from heat
IRAQ WARS
Novel insulators with conducting edges

 Toshiba completes $21 bn sale of chip unit

 Time crystals may hold secret to coherence in quantum computing

 Switched on leads to breakthrough for spintronics
IRAQ WARS
F-35A weather shelter to be built on Alaska base

 Britain's first four F-35Bs arrive ahead of schedule

 Rolls-Royce to deliver V-22 Osprey engines for U.S. military

 Taiwan F-16 fighter jet crashes, killing pilot
IRAQ WARS
New material could replace expensive platinum catalysts used in hydrogen cars

 Germany orders recall of 60,000 Audis over emissions

 French carmaker PSA to exit Iran over US sanction risk

 Electric vehicle market exposed to risk from violence
IRAQ WARS
US, China reach $1.4 bn ZTE deal as signs emerge of trade talks progres

 EU-US trade row looms over NATO defence meet

 China offers to buy $70 bn of US goods, says official

 China warns US against tariffs as trade talks end
IRAQ WARS
New research finds tall and older Amazonian forests more resistant to droughts

 Zangbeto: voodoo saviour of Benin's mangroves

 New technique reveals details of forest fire recovery

 Forest loss in one part of US can harm trees on the opposite coast
IRAQ WARS
Wind satellite shows off

 20 Years of Earth Data Now at Your Fingertips

 New algorithm fuses quality and quantity in satellite imagery

 The case of the relativistic particles solved with NASA missions
IRAQ WARS
Researchers use magnets to move tiny DNA-based nano-devices

 AI-based method could speed development of specialized nanoparticles

 Atomically thin nanowires convert heat to electricity more efficiently

 Change the face of nanoparticles and you'll rule chemistry








The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.