By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

Iraq’s official electoral commission has completed all necessary procedures for conducting a manual recount of ballots cast in the country’s May 12 parliamentary poll, commission officials said Monday.

The recounting process is set to begin on Tuesday at polling stations throughout the country where accusations of vote fraud were made, according to a commission statement.

“The board of commissioners has finalized all procedures necessary for conducting a manual vote recount,” commission spokesman Laith Jabr Hamza is quoted as saying in the statement.

The recount will be overseen by a panel of judges who replaced commission officials last month after the latter were dismissed for reportedly “failing to carry out their official responsibilities”.

Mohamed al-Seyhoud, a member of Iraq’s State of Law coalition, told Andadolu Agency on Monday that the recounting process “must be resolved quickly with a view to completing the formation of parliament and a new government”.

On June 6, parliament called for a manual recount of all ballots cast due to widespread allegations of electoral fraud.

According to official results released after the poll, Muqtada al-Sadr's Sairoon coalition won 54 seats in the assembly, followed by a Hashd al-Shaabi-led coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's Victory Bloc (42 seats).