Al-Maliki's alliance tops polls

Results released by Iraq's election commission on Monday gave Maliki's State of Law alliance 92 of the 328 seats in parliament. This makes it by far the strongest parliamentary group, as its main rivals, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's main al-Ahrar bloc took 29 and 28 seats respectively.

Despite clearly taking the most votes, State of Law fell well short of a majority, meaning the prime minister will need to reach out to other parties in an effort to cobble together a stable government.

Iraqi political parties have already been meeting for weeks to discuss possible post-election alliances, but it's expected to take several months before a new government is formed.

Maliki's victory comes despite strong opposition to the Shiite prime minister's rule, particularly in the Sunni-dominated west and Kurdish north of the country. Many blame Maliki for an upsurge in violence, which has seen more than 3,500 Iraqis killed this year alone. The campaign leading up to the April 30 election was marked by numerous attacks on campaign events and candidates.

Despite the violence, the election commission reported that turnout was 62 percent – roughly the same as in the 2010 polls.

pfd/dr (AP, AFP, Reuters)