Iraq court ratifies parliamentary polls results

The Iraqi federal court ratified Monday the results of April 30 parliamentary elections for all Iraqi provinces, marking the first step toward forming the new Iraqi government, the state-run Iraqiya channel reported.
"The federal court has ratified the results of the national elections, except for four candidates whose ratifications have been postponed," the channel said, without giving further details.
On April 30, some 63 percent of some 21 million eligible voters turned out in over 8,000 polling centers across the country to vote for the 328-seat Iraqi Council of Representatives. More than 9,000 candidates contested in the polls.
Tallies released on May 19 showed a strong lead by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bloc, raising his chances to remain on the post for a third term despite fierce opposition and worsening security.
The country's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that the results gave Maliki's State of Law Coalition 95 seats out of 328 seats in parliament, but fell short of a majority needed to form the next government.
It was the country's third parliamentary elections since the collapse of former leader Saddam Hussein and the first national polls since the withdrawal of U.S. troops in 2011.