Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition took an early lead in the country’s key election according to results today.
He edged ahead in two southern Shiite provinces where he was opposed by hard-line religious parties with close ties to Iran.
The results were the first to be officially released by the independent electoral commission since Sunday’s ballot, and Iraqis continued to wait for results from the country’s other 16 provinces.
The early results only reflect about a third of the votes cast in the two provinces in Iraq’s Shiite-dominated south.
However they foreshadow an al-Maliki victory in an area where he was opposed by hard-line religious Shiite political leaders who have close ties to Iran.
In an effort to cast himself as an inclusive leader for all Iraqis, Mr al-Maliki quit the main Shiite coalition last year to create the State of Law alliance, which includes some Sunni groups.
In Babil province, Mr al-Maliki’s political bloc won about 42 per cent of the estimated 160,870 votes that have been counted so far. In neighbouring Najaf province, his win was even stronger — about 47 per cent of the 116,600 votes.
The Iraqi National Alliance, Iraq’s top Shiite religious coalition, came second in both provinces. The non-sectarian Iraqiya coalition led by former Premier Ayad Allawi, Mr al-Maliki’s top critic, came third in the two provinces.
PA