A United Nations official said Wednesday the December 15 elections in Iraq was credible and transparent, rejecting charges of widespread fraud by Iraqi protesters, DPA reported. "The turnout was high and the (election) day was largely peaceful, all communities participated," Craig Jenning told a news conference in Baghdad monitored from New York. He led the U.N. electoral team that assisted the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission in organizing the elections of a new government. "Complaints must be adjudicated fairly, but we in the U.N. see no justification in calls for a rerun of any election," he said. Jenning said about 70 per cent of Iraq's 15 million registered voters cast their ballots and the number of complaints was low. Final results of the elections will be known in January. The strong Shiite religious party in Iraq was predicted a big winner for seats in the 275-member Parliament, which triggered protests from other groups.
