Governance tops after split verdict in Iraq poll

BAGHDAD -The latest Iraqi election results, released on Friday, have shown that Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya list won 91 seats to 89 for Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition. But both blocs have fallen far short of the 163-seat majority needed to form a government all by themselves.

Allawi's two-seat win came amidst allegations of fraud mainly from Maliki's party. The Shiite leader has demanded a recount after denouncing the Friday result, when hundreds of Maliki's supporters gathered at Baghdad's provincial government building to wave banners that read: "No, no to fraud" and "Where have our voices gone?"

Reports say the prime minister "will not go down without a fight", even though the UN and Iraqi electoral authorities have dismissed fraud allegations. A senior US embassy official Gary Grappo also expressed confidence that Maliki would work within the established judicial process.