Iraq starts partial recount of votes

The Iraqi election commission again refused to set a date to announce the final results of the country's historic election.

The Iraqi election commission again refused on Thursday to set a date to announce the final results of the country's historic election as a recount of 300 ballot boxes started.

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The commission had previously said the result from the January 30 election would be ready on Thursday. Senior commission official Farid Ayar said only that results would be ready in "coming days".

A recount of 300 contentious ballot boxes started on thursday morning, according to Ayar.

"We started the recount this morning. We have mobilised a very large number of electoral staff to finish this as quickly as possible and announce final results in the coming days," Ayar told AFP.

The commission said there were "discrepancies" with the boxes but did not give details nor say where the boxes were from.

More than 200 election complaints have been lodged and several votes are being verified, officials said. According to partial results with just over half the estimated vote of about eight million counted, the main Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, leads the race, followed by a Kurdish coalition.

Iraqis elected a 275-member National Assembly that will choose a President and draw up a constitution ahead of elections for a permanent government to be held in December.

Provincial councils and a Parliament for the autonomous Kurdish region were also elected.