Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki looks set to win the parliamentary elections in the capital, Baghdad.

With one fifth of the votes counted in the capital, Mr Al-Maliki's State of Law Alliance has a lead of around 150,000 votes over its closest rival, the Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition led by Shi’ite religious parties. Former prime minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc is in third place.

The district of Baghdad is a crucial location for candidates because it accounts for 70 of the 325 available parliamentary seats. That is more than in any other district in the country.

Mr Al-Maliki is also in the lead in four southern Shi’ite districts. Mr Allawi’s Iraqiya holds the lead in two Sunni districts, while the two Kurdish parties standing have scored well in the Kurdish north of the country.
 
Although the elections were held almost one week ago, provisional results have been announced in only nine of the country’s 18 provinces. This has led to complaints about the slow pace of the vote counting. The final result is expected in around two weeks’ time. The elections are only the second to be held since Saddam Hussein was removed from power seven years ago.