Baghdad vote recount to kick off on Monday

A manual recount of ballots cast in Baghdad during last month's Iraqi parliamentary election will begin on Monday and last two weeks, an electoral official said.

The recount follows a successful appeal by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who alleged that he had lost votes because of violations at polling centers in Baghdad during the March 7 ballot.

"The new recount in the district of Baghdad will begin on May 3 and take two weeks to complete," Faraj al-Haidari, chairman of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), told reporters in the Iraqi capital.

The recount will be overseen by observers from the European Union, United Nations and the Arab League, Haidari said.

Baghdad was by far the biggest prize in last month's election with 70 seats on offer. The recount is one of a series of delays that has stopped a new government being formed.

Iyad Allawi, Iraq's former premier whose secular Iraqiya coalition won the election, has said new polls run by international monitors might be needed to end efforts from rivals, including Maliki, who want to reverse his victory.

Iraqiya's strong backing in Sunni Arab areas allowed Allawi, a Shiite, to defeat Maliki, also a Shiite, 91 seats to 89, according to unofficial results.

Both need 163 seats to form a majority government but coalition talks with smaller parties appear to have stalled.

Maliki won the original vote in Baghdad -- taking 26 seats compared to Allawi's 24 -- in what was the second national election in Iraq since the 2003 U.S.-led ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein.

But the recount could lead to a wider winning margin for the premier in the capital, allowing him to eventually overturn his two-seat defeat nationally.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Iraqi leaders to resolve their rows and form a new government quickly.

The new recount in the district of Baghdad will begin on May 3 and take two weeks to complete

Faraj al-Haidari, chairman of Iraq\'s Independent High Electoral Commission