The coalition led by the Iraqi prime minister tops the Iraqi elections with 46 seats, according to the Commission

• Voter turnout stands at 56 percent, officials say.
• The Taqaddum Party secures 27 seats in the parliamentary elections.
• The next government faces the challenge of managing armed groups.
  

BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s political bloc won the most seats in Iraq’s election, final election results showed on Monday, but a new government may still be months away due to a dispute over building a majority.

The next administration will have to deal with the delicate balance between US and Iranian influence. He must manage dozens of armed groups that are closer to Iran and more accountable to their leaders than to the state, while facing increasing pressure from Washington to disband these militias.

Sudan’s list came first with 46 seats in the 329-member parliament, the electoral commission announced.

The Taqaddum Party, which draws support from western and northern Iraq, won 27 seats. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law group won 29 seats and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) secured 26 seats, according to results released by the committee.

The final total turnout in Iraq’s parliamentary elections reached 56.11 percent, according to the committee.

Iraq’s ruling coalition parties said after the results were announced that they considered themselves the largest bloc in parliament. In a statement issued after a meeting attended by Sudan, the alliance said it would move forward with appointing a prime minister for the next phase.

Sudan was seeking a second term in last week’s election, but many disillusioned young voters saw the vote simply as a vehicle for established parties to share Iraq’s oil wealth.

But he sought to cast himself as a leader who could make Iraq a success after years of instability, arguing that he had moved against established parties that brought him to power.