BAGHDAD, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Election results from Iraq Thursday showed the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance Party won a majority with 48 percent of the vote, the BBC reported.
That translates into 140 seats in the 275-seat body, whose first task will be to first choose a president and two vice-presidents, who will then decide on a prime minister and cabinet.
In the Jan. 30 vote, the Kurdish parties, which came second, have 75 seats and interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's party gets 40 seats.
Members of the Shiite alliance party have been meeting this week to discuss their candidate for prime minister and the current interim vice-president, Ibrahim Jaafari, was an early favorite, the report said.
While Iraq's electoral commission announced the election results Sunday, it has spent the last four days considering 47 complaints arising from the elections. Election Commission spokesman Farid Ayar told al-Arabiya television most of the complaints had been resolved.
