Iraq: Election results

Preliminary results from Iraq’s 30 April general election (GSN 969/1) showed that Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki won the largest share of seats in the 328-seat parliament, boosting his chances of a third term in office. Maliki’s State of Law Coalition won 92 seats, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission, still short of a majority, but more than expected and considerably more than the Sadrists and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq’s bloc, which won 28 and 29 seats respectively. The Kurds got 62 seats, Osama Al-Nujaifi’s Mutahidun coalition won 23, Iyad Allawi’s Wataniya won 21, and Saleh Al-Mutlaq’s Al-Arabiya won nine. Negotiations to form a new government are expected to last weeks, if not months.