Iraq election: Shia rivals of PM Abadi 'make gains'

Shia rivals of Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi have made big gains in Saturday's parliamentary elections, partial results suggest.

With most votes counted, a bloc headed by cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and another led by a militia leader are ahead, voting officials are quoted as saying.

They suggest Mr Abadi's governing alliance is running third.

The election was the first since the government declared victory over so-called Islamic State (IS) last year.

The full official results are due to be announced later on Monday.

The complex electoral system in Iraq's 18 provinces suggests that the final make-up of the 329-member parliament is still far from decided.

SOURCE: BBC NEWS
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