Turkey: Iraqi vote unbalanced

In a statement issued after the release of the final results of the January 31 poll, the Foreign Ministry said that steps should be taken to ensure all sections of Iraqi society be fairly represented in the new parliament.
“The low turnout of some groups in the elections, the fact that almost no votes were cast in a number of provinces and the fact that manipulations in certain regions, including Kirkuk, led to unbalanced results are issues that need to be considered seriously,” the statement read.
The resulting imbalance could adversely effect the process of drawing up Iraq’s new constitution, the Foreign Ministry said.
“It is seen as absolutely essential for the safety of the political process in Iraq to compensate for the unbalanced representation in the country’s administration,” it said.
“It has become clear that certain elements in Iraq tried to manipulate votes in this historic process and have obtained unjustified gains from this.”