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December 28, 2021

Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election
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Iraq's Supreme Court has ratified the results of October's parliamentary
election, which saw the party of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr win the
most seats. The court rejected several appeals by Iran-backed Shiite
Muslim groups that contested the poll results, clearing the path for the
new parliament to soon hold its inaugural session. In 2004, al-Sadr
ordered his militia, known as the Mahdi Army, to attack U.S. forces
occupying Iraq. In response, then-President George W. Bush ordered the
military to kill or capture al-Sadr, though the White House later
canceled that order.


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