The Iraqi parliament ordered on Wednesday a manual recount of all the ballots of the May 12 parliamentary elections amid repeated accusations of violations.
The electoral commission, which oversaw the polls, was also sacked.
After several failed attempts because of a lack of quorum, 173 members of the outgoing 328-seat house met to order a recount at all polling stations, covering almost 11 million votes, in response to charges of electoral fraud.
The nine-member independent commission was dismissed and is to be replaced by judges.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi had reiterated accusations of fraud against the vote.
Confusion has gripped Iraq since the vote won by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's electoral alliance with communists, even with negotiations to form a new government underway.
Since last month's victory of anti-establishment electoral lists, long-time political figures pushed out by Iraqi voters hoping for change have been calling for a recount.
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.
Parliament already voted last week to annul the ballots of displaced Iraqis and those living abroad.
The recount is unlikely to produce a major change in the number of seats won by the rival lists, according to experts on Iraqi politics, but rather modify the rankings of candidates within the same lists.
The presidency endorsed parliament's decision on a recount, for which no timetable has been announced.
Abadi’s outgoing government could be asked to stay on in a caretaker capacity, political analyst Essam al-Fili told AFP.
He said such a scenario would "generate political tensions which could lead to other consequences", especially in a country where several political formations are affiliated to fighting forces.
