Baghdad's ballot box storage site goes up in smoke

Baghdad's ballot box storage site goes up in smoke
By Louise Miner  & Evelyn Laverick

A storage site housing half of Baghdad's ballot boxes from the country's general election caught fire on Sunday. It comes just days after parliament ordered a national recount

A storage site housing half of Baghdad's ballot boxes from the country's general election caught fire on Sunday.

It comes just days after parliament ordered a national recount.

Last month's legislative elections were won by an alliance headed by Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr.

Amid allegations of fraud, the outgoing parliament ordered a recount of about 10 million votes.

Prime Minister Haider al- Abdadi has described the fire as a "plot" aimed at Iraq's democracy.

Officials votes from one district were being held at the facility and some ballot boxes may have been burned but most were safe.

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