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Iraq's Maliki 'wins most seats in parliamentary polls' Iraq's Maliki 'wins most seats in parliamentary polls'
(35 minutes later)
PM Nouri Maliki's bloc State of Law won the most seats in Iraq's parliamentary elections, but fell short of a majority, preliminary results suggest. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's alliance won last month's parliamentary elections in Iraq, but fell short of a majority, preliminary results show.
The electoral commission said the bloc had taken 92 of the 328 seats in the Council of Representatives. The electoral commission said State of Law had taken 92 of the 328 seats in the Council of Representatives.
The Ahrar bloc loyal to the radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr was second, followed by another Shia group, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq. Its two main Shia rivals, Ammar al-Hakim's Muwatin and the Ahrar movement loyal to Moqtada al-Sadr, followed with a combined 57 seats.
Mr Maliki wants a third term, but his rivals have voiced strong opposition. Mr Maliki wants a third term, but other parties have voiced strong opposition.
They blame him for the sectarian violence that has left more than 3,000 people dead this year, and accuse him of trying to monopolising power. They blame him for the sectarian violence that has left more than 3,000 people dead this year, and accuse him of trying to monopolise power.
Coalition negotiations
More than 9,000 candidates and 276 political entities contested the elections on 30 April, the first since the withdrawal of US troops in 2011.
On Monday, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced that 62% of the 22 million eligible voters had cast ballots.
The preliminary results showed State of Law in the lead in 10 of the 18 provinces, with a combined total of 92 seats, followed by Muwatin with 29 and Ahrar with 28. Two smaller parties of Sadr supporters won six seats.
The Mutahidoun bloc led by the Sunni Arab Speaker of Parliament, Osama al-Nujaifi, ended up with 23 seats, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Wataniya list won 21, and Sunni Arab Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq's Arabiya list got 10 seats.
Negotiations over the formation of a new coalition government are likely to take some time. It took nearly 10 months after the last election in 2010.
Under the constitution, the president must ask parliament to convene 15 days after the final results are announced. Deputies will then choose not only a new prime minister but also a president and speaker of parliament.