Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Allawi edges ahead of PM again in Iraq election
|
Edition:
U.S.
Article
Save
Email
Print
Reprints
Most Popular
Most Shared
Wal-Mart to slash grocery prices
19 Mar 2010
US states sue EPA to stop greenhouse gas rules
19 Mar 2010
House Democrats see momentum on health bill
| Video
9:49am EDT
New password-stealing virus targets Facebook
17 Mar 2010
Putin offers U.S. hints of support
19 Mar 2010
New password-stealing virus targets Facebook
17 Mar 2010
Wal-Mart to slash grocery prices
19 Mar 2010
US states sue EPA to stop greenhouse gas rules
19 Mar 2010
Insurer targeted HIV patients to drop coverage
17 Mar 2010
SCENARIOS-Fed to tread lightly, verbosely, toward exits
24 Feb 2010
Allawi edges ahead of PM again in Iraq election
Khalid al-Ansary
BAGHDAD
Sat Mar 20, 2010 10:19am EDT
Related News
Iraq's PM leads again in tight election race
Wed, Mar 17 2010
Scenarios: Possible Iraq election outcomes
Wed, Mar 17 2010
Allawi leads Maliki for first time in Iraq count
Tue, Mar 16 2010
Secularist edges ahead of Maliki in Iraq count
Tue, Mar 16 2010
Secularist edges ahead of Maliki in Iraq count
Tue, Mar 16 2010
Iraqi challenger Iyad Allawi attends an interview with Reuters in Beirut, March 19, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Jamal Saidi
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Secularist Iyad Allawi edged ahead of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Saturday in a neck-and-neck election race that has laid bare the ethnic and sectarian divisions threatening Iraq's fragile stability.
World
The new results from Iraq's electoral commission, with about 93 percent of an early vote count complete, gave a lead of some 8,000 votes to Allawi, a Shi'ite former prime minister with wide support among minority Sunnis who fear consolidation of the dominance of Shi'ite religious parties in Iraq since 2003.
The lead in the popular vote has changed hands several times and the eventual winner may be able to claim a symbolic victory, but no matter the final result both Maliki and Allawi's will need to engage in long and potentially divisive talks to try to form a coalition capable of forming a government.
As early results trickle in after the March 7 polls, the divided vote is a reminder of Iraq's precarious position on the seventh anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein and plunged Iraq into a bloody civil conflict.
Tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians have died since 2003, along with more than 4,000 foreign soldiers.
Iraq may have held one of the most competitive elections in the region's history, but the course of its democracy is far from certain. It is far safer than it was at the peak of sectarian killing, but a tenacious insurgency keeps Iraq under siege just as U.S. troops halve their force by this summer.
A close election may actually exacerbate those threats by making it harder to form a government coalition and accommodate the conflicting visions -- and personal political ambitions -- of groups as dissimilar as Maliki's mainly Shi'ite State of Law coalition and Allawi's cross-sectarian Iraqiya list.
Maliki, who has won over many Iraqis with his nationalist rhetoric and steps to crush sectarian violence in Iraq, leads in seven provinces in central and southern Iraq, six of them mainly Shi'ite.
The prime minister now has a narrow 6-percent lead over Allawi in Baghdad, the diverse capital city, but he has virtually no support in largely Sunni provinces where many are skeptical of his Shi'ite Islamist roots and condemn his support of a ban of hundreds of candidates, including prominent Sunnis.
Allawi, who has tried to model himself as a non-sectarian outsider, swept western and northern areas home to large numbers of Sunni Arabs. The physician and fluent English speaker holds a narrow lead over a Kurdish bloc in Kirkuk, the disputed city that is Iraq's northern oil hub.
JUMBLE OF POSSIBLE ALLIANCES
Both Maliki and Allawi supporters are predicting they will get more than 90 seats in Iraq's 325-member parliament.
Full early results will be released in the next few days, and final results may take weeks.
Each camp has suggested that an alliance between the two men is unlikely, making it even more important where other contenders, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a Shi'ite bloc closely allied to Iran, and an alliance of two leading Kurdish parties, will throw their weight.
Even before full results are out, fissures are appearing in electoral blocs such as the INA, suggesting the calculus of coalition-building will be even more complex than expected.
Sami al-Askari, a politician close to Maliki, predicted Allawi's alliance would soon splinter. "I don't think this coalition will last long," he said.
Both State of Law and Iraqiya have complained of vote irregularities, and such an outcry could intensify if one bloc feels it was edged out of an outright win.
"Even if fraud was limited, we still feel cheated," said Jamal al-Bateekh, an Iraqiya candidate.
One interesting outcome of this month's vote was the miserable showing some of Iraq's most important leaders, reflecting perhaps Iraqis' exasperation with poor services, rampant corruption, and indiscriminate violence.
Compared to the 543,747 votes Maliki himself got, and 354,097 for Allawi, Interior Minister Jawad Bolani got just 2,992 votes. Defense Minister Abdel Qader Jassim did even worse, with a personal tally of only 687 votes.
Iraq's electoral commission has yet to announce results for voting abroad, which is expected to add support for Allawi, and the results of special voting that includes soldiers, police, prison inmates and the infirm.
(Additional reporting by Muhanad Mohammed; Writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by Jon Hemming)
World
More from Reuters
States take aim to block plan
As the Congress once again rallies to pass healthcare reform legislation, momentum is growing in many states to pass laws to block the changes. Full Article
Factbox: States and healthcare reform
Factbox: Winners and losers in House healthcare bill
Healthcare Reform
It's all in the family
Homebuyers are increasingly counting on their extended families to cut costs and get a bigger bang for their mortgage dollars. Full Article
Greenspan says Fed did not fuel the housing bubble
Housing
Elusive equality
Huge strides have been made in women's rights over the past 40 years. So why is Gloria Steinem still unsettled? Full Article | Video
The week in review for women
Slideshow: The gender gap
LIFESTYLE
© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters
Editorial Editions:
Africa
Arabic
Argentina
Brazil
Canada
China
France
Germany
India
Italy
Japan
Latin America
Mexico
Russia
Spain
United Kingdom
United States
Reuters
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Help
Journalism Handbook
Archive
Site Index
Video Index
Analyst Research
Mobile
Newsletters
RSS
Podcasts
Widgets
Your View
Labs
Thomson Reuters
Copyright
Disclaimer
Privacy
Professional Products
Professional Products Support
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Careers
Online Products
Acquisitions Monthly
Buyouts
Venture Capital Journal
International Financing Review
Project Finance International
PEhub.com
PE Week
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.
Other News on Saturday, 20 March 2010 Mideast Quartet tells Israel to halt settlements
German tax authorities probe Credit Suisse clients, staff
Brazil surgical robot fixes heart in Latin America first
BA strike to go ahead after talks collapse
Rocket fired from Gaza at Israel: army
At least 200 killed as Sierra Leone mine collapses
|
Palm shares plunge on weak forecast
Atom smasher reaches record energy levels: CERN
EU agrees to act to stop Iran jamming broadcasts, Internet
US military pushed for closure of CIA-Saudi website: report
Putin says Russia could sign up to Iran sanctions: RIA
|
US Army worries about 'threat' from whistleblower website
Google to add Maya, Nahuatl languages to search engine
Owner Postpones Auction For "Sex" Website
Somali rebels join forces in cyberspace: U.N. report
Icahn Makes Hostile Takeover Bid For Lions Gate
Mexican police ask spirits to guard them in drug war
|
Palm's survival questioned
Police Accidentally Raid House 50 Times ? And Counting
Ukraine's Yanukovich to repeal Bandera hero decree
|
Ashley Tisdale, Alyson Michalka Sign On For CW Cheerleading Drama
Somali rebels join forces in cyberspace: U.N. report
|
Palm Reports Q3 Loss, Analysts Cut Price Target To $0
Paralyzed Woman Takes 8th Floor Plunge
Zuma defends minister, demands spats end
|
"The Last Song" Star Hallock Beals Talks New Movie And Miley Cyrus
US breaks up vast China, Malaysia smuggling ring
Hidden Camera Reveals Babysitter Abusing Infant
Top Colombian rebel gets 20 years prison in U.S
FIFA excludes Indonesia's World Cup bid
Obama says history is nigh on health care
Pakistan arrests halt UN contacts with Taliban
Dutch PM slams 'disgraceful' Srebrenica gay comments
The Economist not published in Thailand
Russia, US on 'brink' of new arms treaty: Clinton
Activists urge Australia to charge Japanese whalers
Japan PM hints at leaving disputed US base on Okinawa
NKorean loggers in Russia making defection bids
Net produces new generation of China activists
SKorea appeals to France over looted royal books
Trial starts in British teen's slaying in India
Bollywood, Hollywood join hands against piracy
Somali rebels join forces in cyberspace: U.N. report
|
S.Korea rebuffs N.Korea threat to seize assets
Secrets unravel as "Breaking Bad" returns to TV
Losing the battle to keep female flesh off Afghan TV
Pakistani stocks, o/n rates flat; rupee firmer
German celebrity magazine admits fake interviews
Bharti to sell iPhone 3GS in India
Patti Smith to be honored by music industry
China warns US not to politicise yuan debate
Soviet space dogs blast-off to animated immortality
Street kids stage their own World Cup in South Africa
French makes inroads in Africa
Risque sex film arouses interest in Bollywood
Bollywood, Hollywood join hands against piracy
Court rules against Anna Nicole Smith in estate
|
FCC kicks off cable-broadcaster review
|
McLachlan to release first album in seven years
|
Losing the battle to keep female flesh off Afghan TV
|
Secrets unravel as Breaking Bad returns to TV
|
Neil Young documentary captures raw energy of live show
|
Sports endorsement firm eyes music world
|
MySpace trail leads US police to teen burglar
New venture from Facebook co-founder to promote charity
Obama to Iran
Opposition red shirts try to win over Thai capital
|
British boy receives pioneering stem cell surgery
US-TECH Summary
Supposed 'ETA terrorists' are just holidaymakers:report
New York food trucks turn to Twitter
Mousavi vows 'year of perseverance' against Iran regime
Israel strikes in Gaza after deadly rocket
|
Albanian stalemate can hit EU ambitions: official
Black and white meets new technology at photo show
Gunmen block roads in Mexico's drug-plagued north
|
'Red Shirts' take to streets to win over Thai capital
North Korea parliament to meet, Kim and cadres in focus
|
YouTube creators cashed in big on sale to Google: documents
Serbia-Kosovo row overshadows EU-Balkans summit
U.S. eyes early summer for airwaves auction process
US tanker bid war heats up with Airbus, Russia in wings
Hollywood stars help prevent suicide after Twitter alert
Legal adviser to U.S. Haiti missionaries arrested
|
Republican Leader Besieged After "Punk Staffers" Remark
High Number Of Student Suicides At Cornel University Causes Concern
Sanin wins Colombian conservative candidacy
|
$940 Billion Democratic Healthcare Bill In Final Lap Ahead Of House Vote
Appeals Court Orders Federal Reserve To Release Bailout Details
U.S. Markets Dip On Global Concerns, Dow Snaps Winning Streak
US, Russia, will sign nuclear treaty in April: report
Year's biggest sandstorm turns Beijing sky orange
Obama reaches out to Iranian people
Thai protesters begin weekend march around capital
Opposition "red shirts" try to win over Thai capital
7th anniversary of Iraq War passes, little noticed
Music biz insiders say Sony-Jackson deal makes sense
Yachting Team NZ draw first blood over Italians
North Korea sets date for parliament session
Putin offers U.S. hints of support
Pakistan army chief leaves to attend talks in US
'Red Shirts' take to streets to win over Thai capital
Obama optimistic on weekend healthcare vote
Nigeria "moving on" from political crisis
NKorean loggers in Russia making defection bids
U.S. envisions troop surge in northern Afghanistan
Sandstorms blanket Beijing in yellow dust
Smartphones not enough for carriers at CTIA
|
Japan marks 15th anniversary of subway gas attacks
New York food trucks turn to Twitter
|
U.S. eyes early summer for airwaves auction process
|
Pakistani c.bank buys 62.15 bln rupees of govt paper
Serial killings highlight Indonesian child abuse
India unexpectedly hikes rates a quarter point
SKorea vice fin min sees MSCI upgrade in H1-reports
South Korea national oil firm eyes Ghana's Jubilee
US to host 2011 APEC trade talks in Montana
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
'A dad like any other,' son says of drug lord Escobar
Bands explore promo potential of Chatroulette
Aretha Franklin does own thing with new album
|
Music biz insiders say Sony-Jackson deal makes sense
Bands explore promo potential of Chatroulette
|
"College" kid outdoes rap stars in digital sales
Childhood memories inspire new songs for Frampton
|
Ellen, Web site give gay teen $30,000 in prom flap
Aretha Franklin does "own thing" with new album
Childhood memories inspire new songs for Frampton
McLachlan to release first album in seven years
US weighs more troops for north Afghanistan: official
British Airways strike grounds flights but passengers fly
Pope's shame and remorse over Irish child sex abuse
|
Obama to Iran: U.S. offer of dialogue still stands
|
Israeli troops kill Palestinian in W.Bank: medics
|
Allawi edges ahead of PM again in Iraq election
|
Swarm Of Bees Attack 3, Critically Injures 2 Women
U.N.'s Ban in West Bank pushes for peace talks
|
India to get access to U.S. man on Mumbai attack
|
Thousands rally against Putin, dozens detained
|
Obama urges Senate action on finance reform
Nepal's Maoists say Koirala's death a blow to peace
|
Indonesian Muslims protest Israeli settlement plan
New threat puts Hemet officers on heightened alert
Thai protesters' caravan wends through capital
US official: India to question US terror convict
Bloated lake haunts North Dakota town again
Elderly Man Calls 911 Before Killing Wife And Himself
Tokyo marks 15th anniversary of subway gas attack
Trendy Sushi Restraunt Accused Of Selling Whale Meat Closing
Clerics tell Filipino Muslims to reject Estrada
Cambodia to build memorial for slain journalists
Aust. state named disaster zone as cyclone nears
Thai protesters stage weekend march around capital
Veteran Nepal politician Koirala dies at age 86
Cambodia bans citizens from marrying South Koreans
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights