NCRI – Several hundred thousand people demonstrated after Friday prayers in southern Baghdad, many carrying banners decrying last week’s elections. Many Iraqis outside the religious Shiite coalition say that the elections were unfair to Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups.
"We refuse the cheating and forgery in the elections," one banner read.
During Friday prayers at Baghdad’s Umm al-Qura mosque, the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars, a major Sunni clerical group, Sheik Mahmoud al-Sumaidaei told followers they were "living a conspiracy built on lies and forgery."
"You have to be ready during these hard times and combat forgeries and lies for the sake of Islam," he said.
Sunni Arab and secular Shiite factions had demanded Thursday that an international body review election fraud complaints, and threatened to boycott the new legislature.
Their demand came two days after preliminary returns indicated that the current governing group, the religious Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, was getting bigger-than-expected majorities in Baghdad, which has large numbers of Shiites and Sunnis.
More than 2,000 people demonstrated in Mosul today, where some accused Iran of having a hand in election fraud. About 1,000 people also demonstrated in Tikrit.
