Iraqi PM retakes lead from secular challenger with 83 percent of votes counted
By APWednesday, March 17, 2010
Iraq PM back in the lead in vote count
BAGHDAD — The Iraq’s election commission says the prime minister’s coalition has retaken the lead from his secular challenger in the preliminary tally of votes from the parliamentary elections.
Partial results released on Wednesday based on 83 percent of the ballots from the March 7 elections gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition back its lead in a very tight race.
The State of Law now has about 40,000 votes over Iraqiya, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite, who has had a strong showing among the country’s disaffected Sunnis, based in the north.
Al-Maliki’s surge came with new results from the southern Shiite heartland provinces of Basra, Karbala and Dhi Qar.
Al-Maliki is winning in seven of Iraq’s 18 provinces, while Allawi leads in five.
