Allawi bloc wins most seats in Iraq election [View All]

Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters) - Secularist challenger Iyad Allawi's coalition won the most seats in Iraq's parliamentary election with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki running a close second, according to preliminary results released on Friday.

Allawi's cross-sectarian Iraqiya coalition won 91 seats to 89 seats for Maliki's State of Law bloc.

The tight race and Allawi's strong support in Sunni-dominated northern provinces raised the prospect of long and potentially divisive talks on forming a new government.

The Iraqi National Alliance, a Shi'ite grouping whose leaders have close ties to neighbouring Iran, came third with 70 seats, according to the full preliminary results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission, 19 days after the parliamentary election.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE62P204.htm

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‘Saddam lite’ returns to center of Iraqi politics
Ex-PM Allawi is known for willingness to use brute force when necessary


BAGHDAD - The man who was widely derided as an American puppet when he stepped down as prime minister five years ago has become a leading contender for Iraq's top job based on his strong showing in this month's elections among a group that lost more than any other with the U.S.-led invasion.

Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite known for his willingness to use brute force when necessary, has returned to the center of Iraqi politics after receiving millions of votes from Sunni Arabs, a minority that has felt marginalized since Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003. Political blocs led by Allawi and Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are neck-and-neck in a race that is still too close to call with 95 percent of ballots counted. Remaining results are expected to be released Friday.

Allawi and his political coalition won Sunni support in part because he is considered less sectarian than other Shiite leaders and was not in office during the vicious sectarian bloodletting that marked the first two years of Maliki's tenure. With the U.S. military preparing to substantially draw down its presence this summer, many Sunnis voted with the hope that Allawi would restore some of their lost status.