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Iraqi parliament approves recount of parliamentary election votes
Baghdad, June 6 (IANS) The Iraqi parliament on Wednesday approved recount of votes in all polling stations across Iraq over allegations of fraud and irregularities in the parliamentary election held on May 12, the Iraqi official television reported.
With the attendance of 172 lawmakers at the emergency session, the parliament passed a draft to carry out manual recount of all the votes across Iraq, Xinhua news agency reported.
The parliament voted in favour of suspending the nine top officials of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), and to replace them with nine judges in order to supervise the performance of the electoral commission, the channel said.
The parliament also approved the recommendations of a high-level committee formed earlier by the Council of Ministers (cabinet headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi) to investigate the irregularities and fraud in the parliamentary elections, the channel added.
On Tuesday, Abadi’s Council of Ministers approved the recommendations of the high-level committee which included partial manual recount of votes at all ballot stations, and the cancellation of results from overseas and displaced voters.
In addition, the recommendations stated that high-ranking members of the electoral commission to be banned from travelling abroad without permission of Abadi personally.
The parliament measures of recounting the votes would change the final results of the parliamentary elections and would certainly delay the formation of the next government.
However, it is not immediately clear what the decision of the Iraqi Federal Court will be, after it received from the Iraqi President Fuad Masoum a request questioning the legitimacy of forming the high-level committee by the Council of Ministers, as the electoral commission is an independent body not under the control of Abadi’s Council of Ministers.
Masoum’s request also questioned the legitimacy of parliament measure to decide recount of the polls votes, as according to the Iraqi constitution, the parliament has only monitoring role on the independent commission.
Many Iraqi parties, especially in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan and the disputed areas, including Kirkuk province, have complained about alleged irregularities and forgery in the parliamentary election.
The complaints put IHEC under pressure, as the electoral commission has not carried out manual recount of many ballot boxes and depended only on the electronic count of the votes.
On May 12, millions of Iraqis went to 8,959 polling centrrs across the country to vote for their parliamentary representatives in the first general election after Iraq’s historic victory over the Islamic State last December.
–IANS
ahm/
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.