Maliki marches ahead to keep his top Iraqi job
Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki's bid to retain his job gained steam yesterday, as early results crucially put him ahead in Baghdad, while rival blocs began jostling over the formation of a government.
Though the preliminary figures represent less than one-third of all votes cast, they have put Maliki firmly in pole position in the race for the top job, with only ex-premier Iyad Allawi having emerged as a potential rival.
The results from Iraq's second parliamentary election since Saddam Hussein's ouster seven years ago, which sparked widespread sectarian bloodshed, come less than six months ahead of a dramatic US military downsizing which will see all American combat troops leave the country by the end of August.
Analysts said, however, that Maliki could be blocked in his bid to hold onto office even if his State of Law Alliance was the biggest single party in parliament, as other groups could manoeuvre to form a government without him.
With 18 percent of ballots counted in Baghdad, Maliki's State of Law Alliance was comfortably ahead with around 150,000 votes, followed by the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a coalition led by Shiite religious parties, with 108,000. Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc was third on 105,000.
Baghdad and its seven million residents account for 70 parliamentary seats, or more than one-fifth of the 325-member Council of Representatives, making it a crucial win for any would-be government.
News of Maliki's lead in Baghdad came shortly after a senior member of his coalition said State of Law had formed a committee to begin negotiating with rival blocs to hammer out a government.
"The committee met with representatives of four political entities that made progress in the elections," Abbas al-Bayati, a candidate for the coalition, told AFP, but he declined to say with which blocs the talks were held.
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