An Iraqi electoral official said Wednesday that a court-ordered recount of Baghdad votes from the inconclusive election could begin as early as next week, a process that could take away the narrow lead of election winner Ayad Allawi over the current prime minister. A court ruled Monday in favor of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's demand for a recount of 2.5 million votes in Baghdad, handing the incumbent a small victory in his quest to change through the courts the results of the March 7 election for a new, 325-seat legislature. Neither Al-Maliki's State of Law coalition nor Iraqiya, his challenger Allawi's bloc, has won enough seats to form a government. Both have been searching for coalition partners since last month's election to obtain a parliamentary majority. Allawi said Tuesday he supports the recount, but that his coalition feared “the process of the recount could lead to a change in the results for the benefit of a specific group.” This was an implicit reference to Al
