Baghdad: An ally of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki on Wednesday alleged widespread fraud in Iraq's parliamentary elections and demanded a nationwide recount.
Ali Al Adeeb's remarks came as the race between Maliki's State of Law Alliance and the Iraqiya bloc of his main rival, secular ex-premier Iyad Allawi, tightened dramatically, with less than 9,000 votes separating the two nationwide.
"There has been clear manipulation inside the election commission in the interests of a certain or a specific list," said Adeeb, a candidate for State of Law in the predominantly Shiite southern province of Karbala.
"State of Law demands the counting process be repeated to be sure that there has been no manipulation."
While State of Law had appeared be leading early in the vote count, which is still continuing 10 days after the vote took place, Iraqiya's tally has steadily increased in recent days.
Adeeb described Iraqiya's progress as "like a miracle".
Overall, Allawi holds a slim lead in the nationwide vote count, with 2,102,981 votes cast in Iraqiya's favour, compared to 2,093,997 for the State of Law alliance, a difference of just 8,984 votes.
The two are both on pace to garner 87 seats in Iraq's Council of Representatives, according to an AFP calculation based on results released after 79 percent of ballots had been counted.
