BAGHDAD — Iraq's supreme court on Tuesday ratified the results of the country's March general election, clearing the way for a faster pace to government formation talks which remain in limbo.
The ruling confirms initial results released in late March that put ex-premier Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc in the lead, followed closely by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law alliance.
"The court has decided to approve the results of the elections," supreme court chief Midhat al-Mahmoud said.
Mahmoud reiterated a previous court decision, however, that deals a blow to Allawi's claim to have the right to be awarded the first opportunity to form a government.
"The biggest parliamentary bloc ... will be decided in the first session of the parliament," he said, indicating that a coalition agreed before the Council of Representatives has its first session would gain primacy over Iraqiya.
