Early results released by Iraq's electoral commission Sunday showed the prime minister's political coalition ahead in oil-rich Basra province, strengthening his lead in the country's parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki is now leading in six of the 14 provinces where results have been released so far, including the key battleground of Baghdad. Iraq has 18 provinces. The results will determine who will lead the country through the drawdown of US forces and whether progress can be made toward overcoming the deep sectarian tensions that have defined its short democratic history. With about 63 percent of the votes counted in Basra, the win by Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition appeared definitive: State of Law had almost 220,000 votes compared with 121,000 votes for his closest competitor, the Iraqi National Alliance, a Shiite coalition with ties to Iran. A win in Basra province, home to Iraq's second largest city and the center of the country's oil industry, would be a boost for the prime minister's chances of winning another term. His secular challenger, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, also picked up another province Sunday, the Sunni stronghold of Anbar in western Iraq. With 58 percent of the votes counted there, Allawi's Iraqiya coalition had about 122,000 votes compared with 22,500 for his closest competitor, the Sunni coalition Iraqi Accordance.
