Iraqi Prime Minister Backs Call for Vote Recount

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has endorsed calls for a vote recount in the country's parliamentary election, as the latest results show his opponent with a slight lead, the New York Times reports. President Jalal Talabani has also called for a recount, and each of the four political coalitions in the country have alleged widespread fraud and complained about the way the votes were tallied.

Current counts show a tight race between al-Maliki and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose party leads by about 11,000 votes with 95 percent of the ballots counted. About 12 million Iraqis voted, according to the government agency that oversees the country's elections.

Despite Allawi's lead in the overall vote, al-Maliki is ahead in seven of Iraq's 18 provinces, compared to Allawi's five. The candidate who wins the most provinces is more likely to establish a government, as seats in parliament are designated according to how many provinces the party holds.

Iraq's election commission has refused to conduct a recount, saying that it would be impossible to re-check every ballot. The commission reminded the candidates that the election was overseen by international observers, and it agreed to conduct its own investigation.