Secular challenger in Iraq’s key parliamentary election edges out PM as full results released

Secular challenger edges out Iraqi PM in election

BAGHDAD — Results released by Iraq’s election commission show a secular challenger has beaten the country’s prime minister in parliamentary elections, positioning him to be the first to try to form a government.

The full election results show former prime minister Ayad Allawi winning 91 seats, edging out Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as results were released Friday for Iraq’s 325-seat parliament.

The results mark a serious setback for al-Maliki but do not necessarily guarantee Allawi the prime minister’s post, only the right to try to form a coalition government.

The results were based on numbers released by the election commission and compiled by The Associated Press. The commission released the seat allocation province-by-province and did not include an overall number of seats won by each coalition.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Results released so far in Iraq’s parliamentary election show Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki trailing his main rival, former prime minister Ayad Allawi.

Results from six of Iraq’s 18 provinces show al-Maliki’s bloc winning 41 parliamentary seats, and Allawi’s coalition taking home 72 seats.

The provinces included the capital Baghdad and the oil-rich province of Basra, both of which went to al-Maliki, a Shiite.

But the numbers released Friday also included the key provinces of Ninevah, Anbar, Tamim and Diyala, where Allawi had been expected to prevail. The results did not include key Shiite provinces where al-Maliki is expected to do well.