EU welcomes elections’ final results ratification

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The European Union welcomed on Thursday the ratification of the parliamentary elections final results by the Federal Court, according to a statement issued by the bloc. The European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the bloc was looking forward “to the rapid formation of a stable government in Iraq” after the outcome of the March 7 parliamentary elections were officially certified. According to results ratified Tuesday by the constitutional court, former prime minister Iyad Allawi’s Iraqiya List won 91 seats in the 325-member Iraqi parliament, while current prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition came in second place with 89 seats. “The EU is looking forward to a parliament meeting shortly, in accordance with the Constitution, and to the rapid formation of a stable government, allowing Iraq to confront the challenges ahead,” Ashton said in a statement released in Brussels received by IraqiNews.com news agency. SH (P)/SR 3