BAGHDAD – Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki won the largest share of Iraqi parliamentary seats in last month’s national elections, dealing a blow to Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish rivals who opposed his  serving a third term.



Preliminary results on Monday showed Maliki won at least 94 seats, far more than his two main Shiite rivals, the movement of Muqtada Sadr, which picked up 28 seats, and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), which won 29 seats.



The size of Maliki’s victory, with 1,074,000 votes for his list in Baghdad alone, will make it much harder for any of his opponents to argue he is not the choice of the country’s Shiite majority.



It is particularly important to him because his government  is fighting a war with armed Sunni groups, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which holds territory in  Syria and holds sway around central Iraq.



His supporters’ celebratory gunfire was heard in central Baghdad late Monday afternoon.



Maliki picked up 92 seats on his formal State of Law blocs, and another two seats through minority candidates affiliated with him who ran their own campaigns.



Kurds gained a total of 62 parliament seats, while Sunnis won at least 33 seats between their two main coalitions. A  secular bloc, headed by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, took  21 seats.



Final results are expected in the coming weeks after the  electoral commission rules on complaints of voter fraud and irregularities. The federal court then certifies the results.



“Maliki’s position is strong,” said former national security adviser, Muwafak Al Rubaie, a candidate on Maliki’s political slate, who emphasized the prime minister’s experience as commander in chief.



“Because of Syria and regional polarization, security will be very important for the next four years.”



Maliki will now start a period of bargaining to see if he can bring on board his Shiite rivals, who have rejected his candidacy.



The government is formed as a package deal with the 328-member parliament approving the president by a two-thirds majority. He then asks the prime minister to form his cabinet. It could take anywhere from three months to the end of the year, one member of Maliki’s list said.



If a two-thirds majority cannot be reached, political parties argue that the parliament could approve the president by a simple majority, ending any effort to block a new government from being formed. – Reuters