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March 17, 2010

Ex-PM Holds Slight Lead in Iraqi Elections
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In Iraq, former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is holding a slight lead over
current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in early returns from last week’s
national elections. With 80 percent of votes counted, Allawi’s Iraqiya
bloc is ahead of Maliki’s State of Law bloc by around 9,000 votes. It
appears likely no political bloc will win enough votes on its own to
avoid forming a coalition with other parties.



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