Former Iraqi PM challenges Maliki with strong performance in early election results

BAGHDAD, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqia List led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi was leading in the Diyala province and Salahuddin province in the counted votes for the elections, showing strong contest with incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki's bloc, the Iraqi electoral commission said Thursday.

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announced Thursday partial results from the country's landmark parliamentary elections.

Both results were based on the counting of 17 percent votes in that two provinces. According to the released figures, Allawi won at least 34,476 votes in Salahuddin followed by 10,110 votes of the Iraqi Accordance Front. In Diyala, Allawi's bloc got 42,648 votes, more than Maliki's 10,119 votes.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish Alliance is heading in Arbil province, according to the figure of 28 percent counted votes there.

A previous local report said Maliki was heading the votes in Salahuddin province.

In a reverse condition, Maliki's coalition was leading the parliamentary elections in two other provinces in southern Iraq.

Maliki's State of Law List was ahead in the Shiite province of Najaf with 55,849 votes and was also ahead in Babil province with 68,887 votes, the figures showed.

Local observers said the race between Maliki and Allawi could be very close, according to released partial results. However, the Iraqia List has alleged fraud in the elections, saying it had found marked voting papers that had been thrown away and hidden ballot boxes.

Officials at the IHEC said partial results of the rest of the country's 18 provinces will be announced later on Thursday.

The total preliminary results of all Iraq's provinces are expected to be released in few days, according to IHEC top official.

"I believe that we will need four or five days to complete all the preliminary results," Faraj al-Haidari, head of the IHEC told reporters.

On Sunday. Iraqis made 62.4 percent turnout out of more than 18 million eligible voters to cast their ballots in some 8,920 polling centers across the country to vote for the 325-seat Iraqi Council of Representatives out of some 6,300 candidates.