Protest as Iraq court rejects appeal on vote results

Iraq’s top court on Monday rejected an appeal filed by Iran-backed factions contesting the results of country's parliamentary elections held in October.

The lawsuit had been submitted by Hadi al-Ameri, who heads a pro-Iran coalition that lost seats in the October 10 vote.

Final results announced by Iraq's electoral commission confirmed Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as the biggest winner in the vote, securing 73 out of Parliament's 329 seats.

The results also confirmed that the faction known as the Fatah Alliance that represents the Shiite paramilitary group known as the Popular Mobilization Forces secured 17 seats, down from 48 in the last elections.

The Federal Court has not ratified the election results, pending the lawsuit filed by al-Ameri, who heads the Fatah Coalition.

Monday's verdict by the Federal Court rejecting the lawsuit is final and cannot be appealed. The lawsuit had cited technical and legal violations.

Earlier Monday, hundreds of protesters closed entrances to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, in anticipation of the Court's decision.

Military forces fanned out across the area and set up checkpoints in the city.

The Green Zone hosts most foreign diplomatic missions, including the U.S. Embassy.

There were no immediate reports of violence or clashes.

Following the vote, supporters of Iran-aligned militias had pitched tents near the Green Zone in an ongoing sit-in, rejecting election results and threatening violence.

The United States, the U.N. Security Council and others have praised the October 10 election, which was mostly violence-free and without major technical glitches.

But unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud have cast a shadow over the vote.

The standoff with the militia supporters has also increased tensions among rival Shiite factions that could reflect on the street and threaten Iraq's newfound relative stability.