Challenger overtakes Iraq PM in overall vote count

BAGHDAD — A coalition challenging Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in parliamentary elections is ahead for the first time in the overall vote count, although still trailing in the province-by-province count.

The Iraqiya coalition, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite, has about 9,000 votes more than al-Maliki's State of Law coalition in the overall vote tally with about 79 percent of ballots counted.

(enlarge photo) An Iraqi Army soldier secures the gate of a counting center in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, March 16, 2010. Iraq's electoral commission said it has counted 66 percent of votes across the country. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

However, al-Maliki is still winning in seven of Iraq's 18 provinces — including all-important Baghdad — compared with five for Allawi. That could prove important since parliament seats are apportioned mainly by provinces, not according to the overall vote total. Still, the nationwide tally showed Allawi could be narrowing the gap.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

BAGHDAD (AP) — The coalition led by Iraq's prime minister has accused an election official of manipulating vote counts from the country's parliamentary elections and called for a recount, a candidate from the bloc said Tuesday.

It was the latest charge to mar the March 7 balloting, already plagued by a chaotic and slow tally process and fraud allegations. It is also the first time that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has criticized the ballot counting.

Preliminary results released by the electoral commission put al-Maliki's State of Law coalition slightly ahead in a tight race, leading in seven out of the country's 18 provinces.

Al-Maliki's bloc sent a complaint letter to the Independent High Electoral Commission, saying it "received reliable information that several supervisors of the electronic counting center" are linked to rival groups contesting the race.

Ali al-Adeeb, a candidate on al-Maliki's slate, said his coalition is accusing the counting center of doctoring the numbers and is asking for a re-count based on the original vote tallies from all the country's more than 50,000 polling stations.

A copy of the letter, signed by al-Maliki, was obtained by The Associated Press. It says the political allegiance of the counting center's supervisors undermines "their neutrality in administering such a momentous and crucial process" as the tallying of the votes.

The letter singled out Hazim al-Badri, the electronic counting center's manager, claiming he is a member of a Sunni group allied with former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. His bloc is narrowly trailing al-Maliki's in the race.

Al-Badri could not immediately be reached for comment.

The letter also said the prime minister's coalition has information linking employees recently fired from the counting center to the same group. It called for an investigation into the political ties of all officials and employees at the counting center and argued that final results should not be released until all complaints are investigated — "however long it takes."

"Any violation in the elections will have regrettable consequences, especially if the will of the voters is taken away," it said.

Al-Adeeb said the letter was also sent to the American ambassador and the head of the U.N. mission in Iraq. Neither could be reached for comment.

Since the nationwide vote a week and a half ago, the counting process has been fraught with claims of fraud, mostly from the opposition. The electoral commission has also been criticized for its chaotic work and slowness in releasing the results.

Electoral commission official Saad al-Rawi confirmed the commission had received the complaint from al-Maliki's bloc but said it was one of many complaints to come in without any concrete evidence.

"The complaints against us from the blocs don't end," al-Rawi said. "They need to present proof for an investigation to be opened and the judge will decide."

Al-Rawi said, however, that six workers at the counting center were fired for incompetence and entering incorrect data into the computers. "They were caught and fired and made to leave work ... the same day," he said.

Independent Iraqi observers and U.N. officials advising the commission have said they have seen no evidence of widespread fraud that could undermine the outcome.

Some have suggested, though, that the slow and disorganized release of results could fuel suspicions of fraud.

According to the partial count from all of Iraq's 18 provinces, al-Maliki's State of Law coalition leads in seven provinces. His closest challenger, the secular Iraqiya bloc, led by Allawi, is ahead in five provinces.

The religious Shiite Iraqi National Alliance and the main Kurdish coalition each lead in three.

The results are based on partial vote counts released by Monday evening, with 66 percent of the votes tallied. It is unclear if more partial results will be released later Tuesday.

The early tally strengthens al-Maliki's chances of retaining the prime minister's post, although he is unlikely to win a majority necessary to govern alone. Instead, the narrow race could lead to months of political wrangling as leaders try to cobble together a coalition government that will rule as American forces leave Iraq in 2011.

The election was Iraq's second for a full-term government since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

There have been concerns the protracted process and political wrangling over the makeup of the future government could lead to more violence.

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Associated Press Writers Sameer N. Yacoub and Katarina Kratovac contributed to this report.

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