Baghdad, Oct 12 (IANS): Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has announced the preliminary results of the parliamentary elections, with the political group led by prominent Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the lead in some provinces.

Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, chairman of the Board of Commissioners at IHEC, announced the results, without giving details on their political entities or the number of seats won by major competing political blocs, reports Xinhua news agency.

In general, the Sadrist Movement appeared in the lead with more than 70 seats in Baghdad and other central and southern provinces, while the State of Law Coalition, headed by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, secured about 35 seats in Baghdad and other central and southern provinces, according to local media counts.

The initial results also showed that the al-Fateh Coalition (Conquest), which includes some Shia militias of Hashd Shaabi, garnered about 14 seats.

However, the Imtidad Movement, whose members were part of the 2019 massive protests against corruption and mismanagement, won about nine seats, mainly in the southern province of Dhi Qar.

Also, the political alliance known as Taqaddum, or Progress, headed by outgoing parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, won about 40 seats in Baghdad and other Sunni provinces.

The Kurdistan Democratic Party, headed by the Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, won most seats of the Kurdish parties with about 32 seats, mainly in Erbil and Duhok.

The Iraqi parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for 2022, were advanced in response to months of protests against corruption, poor governance, and a lack of public services.

In Sunday's polls, 3,249 candidates competed individually and within 167 parties and coalitions to win 329 seats in the upcoming parliament.