Basra governor predicts poll fraud, IHEC denies

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Basra governor on Monday said that there are preparations to rig the province’s upcoming election, while the director of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in Iraq – Basra office, denied receiving any petitions in this regard. “We have received information and documents about preparations to rig the upcoming election, especially in the north and the west of the province,” Governor Mohammed Msaboh al-Waeli told IraqiNews.com news agency. “Some civil servants at polling centers were replaced, and some of those centers’ managers are affiliated with political blocs,” he said. “Basra’s IHEC was informed of all those cases, and was provided with the related evidences and documents,” he added. For his part, Hazim al-Rubaie, director of the IHEC’s Basra office said “No petitions have been filed in this regard.” “Any petition that is filed to the IHEC will be investigated, and we have a special committee to follow up on such petitions,” he added. Eighty-one political blocs and entities will compete by the end of this month to get the votes of more than 1.435 million voters to occupy the 35 seats of Basra’s provincial council. The oil-rich port city of Basra lies 590 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. MH (S)/ SS 1