Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption It is not clear if voting papers have been destroyed

A fire has been brought under control at Iraq's biggest ballot paper storage depot days after an election recount was ordered.

Votes for the eastern district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, were being held in the depot.

Officials say some ballot boxes could have been in a warehouse that burnt down but most were safe.

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.

The depot housed ballot boxes from the city's al-Rusafa district.

An interior ministry spokesman told Reuters news agency the blaze had been confined to one of four warehouses.

Iraqi authorities have not commented on whether they think the blaze was caused deliberately.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that security agencies had evidence of "unprecedented" violations during the elections.

He said the main issue was with the electronic vote-counting machines that were used for the first time on 12 May.

Fire 'plot'

Though the cause of the fire was not reported, Mr Abadi described it as a "plot to harm the [Iraqi] nation and its democracy".

He said the government would "take all necessary measures and strike with an iron fist against those who undermine Iraq's security".

The outgoing speaker of the Iraqi parliament has said the election should be repeated as a result of the fire.

Salim al-Jabouri, who lost his seat in May's election, said the fire was "a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes".

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Sadr - who once led a militia which fought occupying US troops - led an alliance that won the most votes

Mr Sadr's nationalist grouping formed an alliance with a number of secular parties.

It won 54 of the 328 seats in parliament - making it the largest bloc in the post election landscape.

The cleric, who has ruled himself out of becoming Iraq's prime minister, once led a militia which fought US troops.

One of Mr Sadr's aides, Dhiaa al-Asadi, said on Twitter (in Arabic) that he thought the fire was carried out "to cancel the election or destroy the stuffed ballots counted amongst the results".

A bloc linked to Iranian-backed paramilitaries that have battled the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) over the past four years came second with 47 seats.

The election, the first held since the government declared victory over IS in December, saw a turnout of 44.5% - much lower than in previous polls.</s>A Baghdad warehouse for ballot boxes from last month's legislative elections caught fire Sunday. This comes just hours after a number of judges were officially tasked with carrying out a nationwide manual recount of the votes.</s>A fire broke out in a Baghdad warehouse where ballot boxes from Iraq's parliamentary election last month were stored, local officials said.

The ballot boxes are part of a manual recount of votes from an eastern Baghdad district. A week earlier, parliament passed a law for a recount of 11 million votes, following allegations of fraud during the May 12 elections.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known but a local official said that boxes containing the votes from the al-Rusafa district, on the eastern side of the river Tigris, have all been scorched.

"Civil defence forces are on the way, but I can tell you all the boxes and papers have burned," Mohammed al-Rabeei, a Baghdad province council member, said.

However, an interior ministry spokesman said the fire had destroyed some documents and equipment but first responders on the site were trying to prevent it from spreading to ballot boxes.

The warehouse is one of four at the site, said Major General Saad Maan, and contained documents and electronic equipment.

"It is possible there were also some ballot boxes in the warehouse that caught fire, but most of the important boxes are in the three warehouses where the fire has been controlled," he said.

The election resulted in the shock victory for Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

Al-Sadr's Sairoon coalition managed to win 54 out of 328 seats, and had ran an election campaign of opposing foreign interference in Iraq, as well as promising to rebuild schools and hospitals - which were heavily damaged in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) last year.

According to intelligence services, however, tests of electronic voting machines - used for the first time in Iraqi elections - produced varied results, appearing to give credence to the fraud claims.

The outgoing parliament's decision to mandate into law a full recount of the parliamentary elections last Wednesday also called for the Independent High Elections Commission's leadership to be replaced by nine judges.</s>The fire that ravaged a Baghdad warehouse where votes from May's legislative election were stored ahead of a recount was started "deliberately", Iraqi Interior Minister Qassem al-Araji said Monday.

The fire ripped through the warehouse Sunday ahead of a vote recount prompted by allegations of fraud during the election that saw a surprise victory for a populist cleric and Iraqi voters dumping the old guard.

"There is no doubt that it was a deliberate act and I am personally following up on the investigation with the criminal police and the committee tasked with probing the fire," Araji said.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control several hours after it broke out in a warehouse located in Al-Russafa, one of the largest voting districts in eastern Baghdad.

Around 60 percent of the two million voters in Baghdad cast their ballots in the May 12 election in that district.

The extent of the damage caused to ballot boxes was still unclear but some officials have suggested that most of them had been spared.

On Sunday an AFP reporter saw warehouse staff running out of the building as smoke billowed overhead, carrying blue and white ballot boxes to safety.

"Election material, including maybe ballot boxes, were burned but most of the ballot boxes were stored in another building and have been preserved," interior ministry spokesman General Saad Maan told reporters on Sunday.

The fire erupted as the Supreme Council of Justice on Sunday appointed nine jugdes to supervise a manual vote recount which had been ordered by Iraq's outgoing parliament.

The legislature on Wednesday also sacked the nine-member independent commission which oversaw the polls.

The vote was won by populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr's electoral alliance with communists, as long-time political figures were pushed out by Iraqi voters hoping for change in a country mired in conflict and corruption.

But the result was contested following allegations of fraud namely by the veteran politicians led by parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi.</s>BAGHDAD—A fire broke out Sunday in a Baghdad warehouse storing ballot boxes and voting equipment, in what some lawmakers said was an intentional act aimed at thwarting a manual recount of results for an election already dogged by allegations of fraud.

Interior Ministry spokesman Saad Maan said the fire had started in one of four warehouses containing ballot boxes, documents and equipment belonging to the Independent Higher Electoral Commission, which organized the vote on May 12. Army vehicles arrived to transport the surviving...</s>Baghdad — A Baghdad storage site housing ballot boxes from Iraq’s May parliamentary election has caught fire and first responders are attempting to control it, a local official and the interior ministry said on Sunday.

The ballot boxes are part of a manual recount of votes from the May election, mandated in a law passed by the Iraqi parliament on Wednesday.

"The storage spaces housing all the ballot boxes from al-Rusafa belonging to the election commission are now on fire," said Baghdad province council member Mohamed al-Rabeei.

"Civil defence forces are on the way, but I can tell you all the boxes and papers have burned."

Rusafa is a district of Baghdad on the eastern side of the river Tigris. An interior ministry spokesman said the fire had destroyed some documents and equipment but civil defence forces were trying to prevent it from spreading to ballot boxes.

The site was divided into four warehouses, said Maj-Gen Saad Maan, and only one — housing electronic equipment and documents — had burned down. Firefighters were trying to stop the fire from spreading to the remaining three warehouses, where the ballot boxes are located, he said.

"It is possible there were also some ballot boxes in the warehouse that caught fire, but most of the important boxes are in the three warehouses where the fire has been controlled."

Earlier on Sunday, the Supreme Judicial Council, Iraq’s highest judicial authority, named judges tasked with taking over the country’s elections commission after allegations of widespread electoral violations in the May election.</s>BAGHDAD: A fire ripped through Iraq's biggest ballot warehouse on Sunday ahead of a vote recount prompted by allegations of fraud during legislative elections that saw a surprise victory for a populist cleric.

A senior security official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the fire broke out in a warehouse located in Al-Russafa, one of the largest voting districts in eastern Baghdad. Around 60 percent of Baghdad´s two million eligible voters had cast their ballots in the May election in Al-Russafa district.

A column of black smoke billowed from the warehouse, normally used to store foodstuff, and could be seen across the capital. Two hours after the blaze erupted firefighters, backed by 10 trucks, were still struggling to put out the fire as warehouse staff ran out of the building carrying blue and white plastic ballot boxes, an AFP reporter said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. It comes as Iraq prepares for a manual recount of around 10 million votes, following allegations of fraud during the May 12 legislative polls.

The vote was won by populist Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr´s electoral alliance with communists, with long-time political figures pushed out by Iraqis voters hoping for change in a country mired in conflict and corruption. But the result was contested following allegations of fraud namely by the veteran politicians led by parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi.

The recount was ordered by parliament on Wednesday at all polling stations, although no timetable has been announced. According to intelligence services, tests of electronic voting machines -- used for the first time in Iraqi elections -- produced varied results, appearing to give credence to the fraud claims. An electoral commission official and a spokesman for the interior ministry suggested that Sunday´s fire did not damage ballot boxes.</s>A storage site housing half of Baghdad's ballot boxes from Iraq's parliamentary election in May has caught fire, just days after parliament demanded a nationwide recount of votes.

The fire has drawn calls for the election to be re-run.

An Interior Ministry spokesman said later the fire was confined to one of four warehouses at the site, and state television said the ballot boxes were being moved to another location under heavy security.

Authorities did not say whether they believed the fire was deliberately set, but its timing undermined the results of an election whose validity was already in doubt.

Fewer than 45 per cent of voters cast a ballot, a record low, and allegations of fraud began almost immediately after the vote.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose electoral alliance came third in the election, said on Tuesday (local time) a government investigation had found serious violations and blamed Iraq's independent elections commission for most of them.

The Independent High Elections Commission had used electronic vote-counting devices to tally the results.

A recount could undermine nationalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iran's sway in Iraq.

Mr Sadr's bloc won the largest number of seats in the election.

One of Mr Sadr's top aides expressed concern that some parties were trying to sabotage the cleric's victory.

Salim al-Jabouri, the outgoing speaker of parliament, said the fire showed the election should be repeated.

Mr Jabouri narrowly lost his seat in May and had been one of the strongest proponents of a recount before the fire.

His call was seconded by Vice-President Iyad Allawi, the leader of the electoral alliance Mr Jabouri ran as part of.

Top Sadr aide Dhiaa al-Asadi said the fire was a plot aimed at forcing a repeat of the election and hiding fraud.

"Whoever burned the election equipment and document storage site had two goals: either cancelling the election or destroying the stuffed ballots counted amongst the results," he tweeted.

The fire took place at a Trade Ministry site in Baghdad where the election commission stored the ballot boxes from al-Rusafa, the half of Baghdad on the eastern side of the Tigris river.

Baghdad is Iraq's most populous province, accounting for 71 seats out of the Iraqi parliament's 329.

The site was divided into four warehouses, Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Saad Maan said.

Only one — housing electronic equipment and documents — had burned down, he said.

Firefighters were trying to stop the fire from spreading to the remaining three warehouses, where the ballot boxes were stored, he said.

The law mandating a manual recount also mandated the board of the election commission be replaced by judges.

Earlier on Sunday, the Supreme Judicial Council, Iraq's highest judicial authority, named the judges to replace the commissioners.

The council also named judges to replace the commission's local chiefs in each of Iraq's 18 provinces, another measure mandated by parliament.

The board of commissioners has said it would appeal against the law forcing the recount.</s>Haider al-Abadi, Iraq's prime minister, has said the burning of a warehouse in Baghdad where ballot boxes from last month's disputed parliamentary elections were kept was part of a plot to sabotage the country's democratic process.

His comments on Sunday were the most high-profile indication that the fire in the Iraqi capital was deliberate.

"Burning election warehouses ... is a plot to harm the nation and its democracy," Abadi, whose coalition faltered in the polls by finishing third, said in a statement on Sunday.

"We will take all necessary measures and strike with an iron fist all who undermine the security of the nation and its citizens," he added.

Last week, parliament passed a law for a recount of 11 million votes, following allegations of fraud during the May 12 elections.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known but a local official said that boxes, part of a manual recount of votes from the al-Rusafa district in eastern Baghdad, had all been scorched.

"I can tell you all the boxes and papers have burned," Mohammed al-Rabeei, a Baghdad province council member, said.

However, an interior ministry spokesman said the fire had destroyed some documents and equipment but first responders on the site were trying to prevent it from spreading to ballot boxes.

The warehouse is one of four at the site, said Major General Saad Maan, and contained documents and electronic equipment.

"It is possible there were also some ballot boxes in the warehouse that caught fire, but most of the important boxes are in the three warehouses where the fire has been controlled," he said.

Prior to Abadi's remarks, Iraq's outgoing parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri said that the fire was intentional and called for a repeat of the election.

"The crime of burning ballot box storage warehouses in the Rusafa area is a deliberate act, a planned crime, aimed at hiding instances of fraud and manipulation of votes, lying to the Iraqi people and changing their will and choices," Jabouri said in a statement.

"We call for the election to be repeated," added Jabouri, who lost his seat in the election. He called for those responsible to be brought to justice by the security forces.

Kazem al-Shammari, a spokesman for the Sunni Wataniya alliance, which won 21 seats, was quoted as saying by al-Araby al-Jadeed that "there was no such incident in all previous election cycles, and the fire coincides with the decision to manually re-count the ballot boxes.

"This indicates a lot of manipulation and forgery, so the forgers sought to hide the crime by burning the boxes."

In a shock result, the Sairoon coalition of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr came first in last month's vote, winning 54 out of 328 seat.

The victory came on the back of an election campaign of opposing foreign interference in Iraq, as well as promising to rebuild schools and hospitals - which were heavily damaged in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, known as ISIS) group last year.

According to intelligence services, however, tests of electronic voting machines - used for the first time in Iraqi elections - produced varied results, appearing to give credence to the fraud claims.

The outgoing parliament's decision to mandate into law a full recount of the parliamentary elections last Wednesday also called for the Independent High Elections Commission's leadership to be replaced by nine judges.

"Iraq's first election since the defeat of ISIL was praised for the lack of violence in the run-up to and during polling day - but since then much has changed," Al Jazeera's Charles Stratford, reporting from Baghdad, said.

"Allegations of fraud leading to parliament's vote for a countrywide manual recount has thrown the transparency of this election into doubt. A fire at a building containing potential proof of how people voted will only make accusations of voter rigging even louder."

Adel Nouri, a member of the Iraqi Parliamentary Integrity Commission, also alleged that the ballot boxes were deliberately set on fire.

"The criminals manipulated the results of the elections because they know that the results that were announced are not true, so they burned the ballot boxes."

"This crime is not an ordinary crime and not a passing incident, but a major crime and a great betrayal of the country."

He called on al-Abadi and the responsible authorities to "open an urgent investigation to catch the perpetrators and determine the cause, so as to know who had committed this crime".

Negotiations over the formation of a new government are expected to drag on for months as no alliance won the 165 seats required for an outright majority. In the past, similar talks lasted up to nine months.

Until a new prime minister is chosen, al-Abadi will remain in office and retain all his powers.</s>BAGHDAD: A fire ripped through Iraq’s biggest ballot warehouse on Sunday ahead of a vote recount prompted by allegations of fraud during legislative elections that saw a surprise victory for a populist cleric.

A senior security official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the fire broke out in a warehouse located in Al-Russafa, one of the largest voting districts in eastern Baghdad. Around 60 percent of Baghdad’s two million eligible voters had cast their ballots in the May election in Al-Russafa district.

A column of black smoke billowed from the warehouse, normally used to store foodstuff, and could be seen across the capital.

Two hours after the blaze erupted firefighters, backed by 10 trucks, were still struggling to put out the fire as warehouse staff ran out of the building carrying blue and white plastic ballot boxes, an AFP reporter said.

The cause of the blaze was not immediately known. It comes as Iraq prepares for a manual recount of around 10 million votes, following allegations of fraud during the May 12 legislative polls.

The vote was won by populist cleric Moqtada Sadr’s electoral alliance with communists, with long-time political figures pushed out by Iraqis voters hoping for change in a country mired in conflict and corruption.

But the result was contested following allegations of fraud namely by the veteran politicians led by parliamentary speaker Salim al-Juburi. The recount was ordered by parliament on Wednesday at all polling stations, although no timetable has been announced.

According to intelligence services, tests of electronic voting machines -- used for the first time in Iraqi elections -- produced varied results, appearing to give credence to the fraud claims. An electoral commission official and a spokesman for the interior ministry suggested that Sunday’s fire did not damage ballot boxes.

"The room where voting machines and other election equipment were stored was destroyed by the fire," Imed Jamil, an electoral commission official for Al-Russafa, told AFP. "The ballot boxes were stored in another room," he said, adding that the fire would not affect the recount.

Interior ministry spokesman General Saad Maan echoed him during a visit to the scene to the warehouse where the blaze was raging. "Election material, including maybe ballot boxes, were burned but most of the ballot boxes were stored in another building and have been preserved," Maan told reporters.

Last month’s election saw a record number of abstentions as Iraqis snubbed the corruption-tainted elite who have dominated the country since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

Less than half of Iraq’s 24-million electorate took part, dumping the old guard in favour of Sadr’s alliance followed by a list of former fighters of the Hashed al-Shaabi alliance that last year played a key role in the defeat of the Islamic State group.

But the old guard, dumped by Iraqi voters, have clamoured for a recount, although experts say it is unlikely to produce a major change in the number of seats won by their rival lists. On Wednesday, Iraq’s outgoing parliament also sacked the nine-member independent commission which oversaw the polls, and on Sunday they were replaced by nine judges who would supervise the recount.

The previous week parliament had already voted to annul the ballots of displaced Iraqis and those living abroad, although they accounted for only a small fraction of the overall vote.
A warehouse holding ballot boxes from elections last month burns down in Baghdad. Several politicians say the fire was a criminal act aimed at destabilising the state following a disputed election result.