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U.N.: Iraqi Elections Credible, Fair

An endorsement by a United Nations official which said that Iraq`s recent parliamentary elections were credible and that the results should stand drew firre from Sunni Arab groups demanding a new vote. The investigation results, which came after opposition groups demanded international intervention, was likely to deflate their calls for the elections to be canceled. It also was likely to move other Sunni Arabs and secular Shiites closer to the bargaining table ahead of final results, expected to be announced next week.

Preliminary results, which gave a big lead to the ruling Shiite religious bloc, also indicated that Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, a former Washington insider, will not be re-elected to the new 275-member parliament. Before Saddam Hussein was deposed in 2003, Mr. Chalabi, was living in exile and a favorite of the Defense Department and the U.S. Congress.

The United Nations official, Craig Jenness, said at a news conference organized by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) that his U.N.-led international election assistance team found the elections to be fair. "The United Nations is of the view that these elections were transparent and credible," said Jenness. IECI`s Safwat Rashid said "No wide, premeditated and systematic fraud was noticed."