Protests across south Iraq as recount calls escalate

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has insisted that the March 7 election ballots undergo a complete manual recount – even before results are officially announced – spurring supporters in key southern provinces to protest alleged wrongdoing in the national election, part of a post-election frenzy that is worrying analysts and insiders alike.

It has jump-started the Iraqi political rumor mill, after Sami al-Askari, a top aide to Maliki, told the Los Angeles Times* that if the vote were s...