Candidates endorsed by anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will appeal the results of last weekend's election results in Baghdad and other Iraqi provinces because of alleged voting irregularities, a spokesman said on Saturday.The allegations are among a chorus of questions raised by Shia religious parties and Sunnis about the outcome of provincial elections, in which allies of Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki won a sweeping victory.
"There are huge differences between results announced by the electoral commission and the figures we have from our observers in some provinces," said Tahir al-Kinani, spokesman for one of two candidate lists backed by al-Sadr.
Al-Kinani told reporters at a news conference that the candidates were appealing the results in the provinces of Baghdad, Najaf, Maysan and Qadisiyah.
The election results have been heralded as an endorsement of al-Maliki's crackdown on extremism and violence that followed the 2003 US-led invasion. Those results, which must be certified, put al-Maliki in a strong position ahead of parliamentary elections later this year.
Sadrist-backed candidates were tied with a Sunni group for a distant second in Baghdad behind al-Maliki's coalition, according to preliminary results released on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Sadrist-backed candidates finished well behind al-Maliki and the religious-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, which maintains ties to both Iran and the United States.
Al-Sadr, who lives in Iran, lost much of his clout last year when government forces routed his militia from strongholds in Baghdad and Basra. His movement did not field candidates under the Sadrist banner but endorsed lists of nominal independents.
In the days following the elections, tension mounted in some areas where early returns leaked by political parties led to allegations of irregularities.
In Anbar province, a former Sunni insurgent stronghold west of the capital, a leader of tribesmen who turned against al-Qaida in the area complained that rival Sunnis stole the election, a charge they denied.
In Baghdad, al-Kinani said the al-Sadr backed candidates were demanding the electoral commission identify those involved with manipulating election results.
The election commission has pledged to investigate all allegations of voting irregularities.
The elections came as Iraq has enjoyed a steep decline in violence, though there are daily reminders of dangers that face Iraqis and US troops.