Iraq vote results show tight contest

Initial results in Iraq's historic election have been released, showing mixed results between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his main rival.

The early results from the Independent High Electoral Commission have been released in Baghdad.

Preliminary tallies from five of the country's 18 provinces show al-Maliki is ahead in the largely Shi'ite south, while secularist rival Iraqiya, led by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, is polling well among Iraq's Sunni minority.

Nouri al-Maliki's bloc is ahead with more than a third of the votes counted in the mainly Shi'ite provinces of Babil and Najaf where they've won 45 percent of the votes. Their rival Shi'ite religious coalition has 37 percent. The Iraqiya list, has 15 percent.

Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) tally votes from the special parliamentary voting day in Baghdad March 11, 2010. REUTERS/Saad Shalash