Hashed party loses in Iraq polls

Baghdad: Iraq’s election was a disaster for the pro-Iranian former paramilitary force Hashed al-Shaabi, with voters desperate for an economic recovery rather than shows of military muscle.

According to preliminary results the Conquest (Fatah) Alliance, the political arm of the multi-party Hashed, emerged with only around 15 MPs from the October 10 vote. In the last parliament it had 48, which made it the second largest bloc. The big winner, with more than 70 seats according to the initial count, was the movement of Moqtada Sadr, a preacher who campaigned as a nationalist and critic of Iran.