Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and main rival Iyad Allawi were neck-and-neck Thursday, with updated results showing their blocs in a tight race to be the largest faction in the Iraqi parliament.
Maliki's State of Law Alliance led Allawi's Iraqiya list by just 40,000 votes nationwide, according to updated results based on 83 percent of ballots counted, as the incumbent's bloc alleged fraud and demanded a recount.
The incumbent party alleges fraud? As victim or incompetent perpetrator?
But Iraqiya was on pace to garner 90 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives compared with State of Law's 89, according to an AFP calculation that excluded eight seats reserved for minorities.
The Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition led by Shiite religious groups, is set to come in third with 69 seats, according to AFP calculations, while Kurdistania, comprised of the autonomous Kurdish region's two long-dominant parties, is likely to have 39. No other group is set to win more than 10 seats. |