Partial Iraq election results due Thursday: commission

US general eyes 'months' before Iraq government
Washington (AFP) March 9, 2010 - The commander of US forces in Iraq on Tuesday predicted it would take "a couple of months" for leaders to form a post-election government but downplayed fears of instability. General Ray Odierno told US public television it was too soon to give exact predictions on Iraq's transition as final results have yet to be announced from Sunday's election. "If they are close it will probably take a little bit longer; if someone has a bigger lead, it might happen a little bit quicker. But I believe we're talking about a couple of months," Odierno told the "PBS Newshour."

Odierno said he had been in close touch with Iraqi authorities about ensuring security after the country's second election since the 2003 US-led invasion. "Clearly we understand that this is a transition time and transitions are always a time of risk," he said. "But we have worked very hard with the government of Iraq ... to try to ensure that security will remain," he said. "I believe we will be able to do that through this critical period." President Barack Obama earlier paid tribute to the "courage and resilience" of Iraqi voters who posted a 62.4 percent turnout despite periodic violence. Obama has promised to withdraw all American troops from Iraq by the end of next year.

by Staff Writers
Baghdad (AFP) March 10, 2010
Partial results from Iraq's parliamentary election will be released on Thursday, the country's electoral commission said on Wednesday.

"The counting is taking place normally (and) there is no problem," said Hamdiya al-Husseini. "Partial results will be announced tomorrow."

Asked when final results from the Sunday poll would be ready, Husseini said "we are working normally but we cannot say when we will declare the final results."

The commission has already announced that partial results would be announced once at least 30 percent of ballots had been counted.

Husseini's remarks were confirmed by Ad Melkert, the special United Nations envoy, at a news conference.

"Tomorrow there will be a preliminary result," Melkert said.

"I think it's fair to say the world has been impressed by the professional way that these elections have taken place," he said.

"And that is why it is very important that the announcement of the preliminary results will be accepted by all, knowing that this is not yet the final result, but also understanding that it's an honest counting."

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite who helped ease the country's deadly sectarian strife, emerged on Monday as the front-runner, according to estimates AFP obtained from officials across the country.

But he could yet face a tough battle to cling to power after the vote saw millions defy bomb, mortar and rocket attacks, which killed 38 people, to cast their ballots.

Estimates of early trends in the Baghdad region, which with its 70 parliamentary seats could swing the result of the vote, were not yet available.

But officials said Monday that Maliki's political bloc was leading the count in nine of Iraq's 18 provinces.

His State of Law Alliance was ahead in Shiite regions, while Iyad Allawi, a former premier who heads the secular Iraqiya list, led in Sunni areas, according to estimates AFP obtained from officials across the country.

The other leading list is the Iraq National Alliance, dominated by two Shiite religious parties -- the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and the movement of radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who led two uprisings against US troops.

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Baghdad holds key as Iraq awaits initial vote results
Baghdad (AFP) March 9, 2010
Iraq awaited initial results Tuesday from polls touted as a test of its young democracy, with Baghdad holding the key as the prime minister's list and its top secular rival jockeyed for pole position. The electoral commission had promised to provide initial results by the evening, but it later said it had not yet counted the 30 percent of the votes it needed to announce the preliminary findi ... read more

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