The Bush administration's hopes for a government of national unity in Iraq, led by its favoured candidate, Ayad Allawi, the secular and pro-western former prime minister, received a setback last night.
Preliminary results showed that most voters opted for Sunni and Shia religious parties in a parliament in which nationalists who want an early timetable for a withdrawal of US and British troops will have a stronger voice.
Mr Allawi's camp, which includes liberals, communists, and his own secular followers, cried foul yesterday as did the main Sunni coalition known as the Consensus Front, which includes the Islamic party. The election commission has at least a week to examine hundreds of complaints of violations on polling day and this is likely to be followed by weeks of haggling over government posts.
But the results suggest that the Shia religious bloc which dominates the current government will retain most, if not all, the 140 seats it holds, giving it a majority in the 275-seat parliament. It needs two-thirds to choose a president - a mainly ceremonial post - along with a prime minister.
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