Nearly two-thirds of eligible voters believed to have cast a ballot
Nearly two-thirds of Iraqis turned out to vote in the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday. Although results aren’t expected until Tuesday, the incumbent State of Law coalition, led by Nouri al-Maliki, says it is leading in 9 of 18 regions. The final results could nonetheless prove sharply different than the early returns since most Iraqis abroad, who weren’t counted in the 62.5 per cent turnout, are believed to be Sunnis and unlikely to support al-Maliki’s Shia coalition. Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister who heads the Iraqiya bloc, was believed to be leading in Sunni areas, according to estimates released by AFP. The strong turnout came despite a series of attacks aimed at destablizing the Iraqi government that left at least 38 people dead and 89 others wounded in Baghdad.