IRAQ - Dec 19 - Shiite Islamists Take Lead In Election.

The election commission releases preliminary results for last week's parliamentary election, indicating that the Shiite Islamist United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) is taking a strong lead. Sunni and Kurdish parties also did well, while a coalition led by former PM Iyad Allawi and other cross-sectarian alliances took fewer votes than many had expected. The commission stressed the results were partial and uncertified and subject to rulings on complaints. Allawi's party has alleged intimidation of voters and other election violations by UIA supporters. The preliminary results dash the hopes of the UIA's rivals that it would receive less than the third of seats it would need to block the formation of a government, a scenario by which Allawi's supporters said he might regain the premiership. It might even give the UIA close to the majority of seats it took after January's elections, suggesting that the active participation of the grassroots movement loyal to radical Shiite leader Muqtada Al Sadr may have offset the influx of new Sunni voters. The results, if confirmed, are also likely to be a disappointment to the US and British governments, which were reportedly hoping that a strong showing for Allawi would limit the power of the Alliance, which many Sunnis consider to be a force contributing to the polarisation of the country. In Baghdad, the UIA took 58.7% of valid ballots cast, while the Sunni-led Iraqi Consensus Front received 18.9% and Allawi 13.6%. In the southern provinces, where the former PM hoped to pick up votes from secular middle-class Shiite, the Alliance took between 75 and 87% of the vote, while Allawi won between 4.5 and 12%. In Salaheddin, the one Sunni-majority governorate to have its ballots counted, the Islamist-leaning Consensus Front took 33%, the more secular-nationalist Iraqi National Dialogue Front took 19% and Allawi's list took 11%. The three provinces of the Kurdish north, meanwhile, were swept by the Kurdistan Alliance, grouping the main Kurdish parties, with between 3 and 11% going to the Kurdistan Islamic Union. The Iraqi National Congress of controversial Shiite politician Ahmad Chalabi, tipped as a possible PMial candidate, did much worse than many had expected, taking only 0.36% of the vote in Baghdad and 0.34% in Basra. The early announcement comes despite complaints from Allawi's supporters of widespread irregularities, including intimidation of voters and multiple voting by Alliance supporters. The UIA has filed its own complaints. Allawi's supporters have questioned whether the IECI is sufficiently independent to issue judgments against powerful political forces such as the UIA.