Iraq recount fails to overturn Allawi election win

A cross-sectarian coalition led by secularist former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi held its two-seat win in Iraq's March 7 election after a recount of votes cast in Baghdad, elections officials said on Sunday. But the poll victory of Allawi's Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, confirmed by an 11-day manual recount of 2.5 million votes cast in the Iraqi capital, stood on shaky ground as Iraq's two major Shi'ite coalitions have already announced an alliance to form the largest bloc in parliament. Iraqiya won 91 seats, edging out the mainly Shi'ite State of Law coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with 89. Allawi has insisted the election win gave him the first right to form a new government but the union of Maliki's bloc with the Iran-friendly Iraqi National Alliance, the third-place finisher, could sideline him and anger Sunnis, raising fears of renewed sectarian conflict as U.S. troops prepare to leave.