Iraqi PM Al Maliki's bloc wins provincial vote

Baghdad: Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's allies swept to victory over Shiite religious parties during last weekend's provincial elections in Iraq — a rousing endorsement of his crackdown on extremists, according to official results released on Thursday.

The impressive showing, which must be certified by international and Iraqi observers, places al-Maliki in a strong position before parliamentary elections late this year and could bolster US confidence that it can begin withdrawing more of its 140,000 troops.

The results were a major blow to Iraq's biggest Shiite religious party — the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council — which trailed in every Shiite province including its base in the holy city of Najaf.

Still, the margin of victory in a number of Shiite provinces was narrow, indicating the prime minister's supporters will have to cut deals with their rivals in order to govern.

And Al Maliki's Coalition of the State of Law gained little traction in Sunni areas, suggesting that sectarian divisions still play a major role in Iraqi politics. Al Maliki is himself a Shiite from a religious party but his bloc ran on a platform against sectarianism.

Some Western diplomats believe al-Maliki's biggest problem now will be fending off challenges from fellow Shiites as well as Sunnis and Kurds — who all underestimated him two years ago but now have a strong vested interest in curbing his power.

The elections, for ruling councils in 14 of the 18 provinces, were the first nationwide balloting since December 2005 and went off peacefully. But a suicide bomber struck Thursday in an ethnically tense northern town, killing 14 people, according to US and Iraqi officials.

The election commission must apportion seats on provincial councils based on the percentages of the vote won by each party, a process that could take weeks. Council members in turn elect the provincial governors.

Al Maliki's biggest victories came in Baghdad and Basra, Iraq's second largest city, where voters rewarded him for last spring's offensive crushing Shiite militias that had ruled the streets for years.