Cleric Sadr's party 'tops Iraqi election'

Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's party has swept an Iraqi election, coming first and increasing the number of seats he holds in parliament, according to initial results, officials and a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement.

A count based on initial results from several Iraqi provinces plus the capital Baghdad, verified by local government officials, suggested Sadr had won more than 70 of the 329 seats in parliament.

A spokesperson for Sadr's office said the number was 73 seats.

Local news outlets published the same figure.

An official at Iraq's electoral commission said Sadr had come first but could not immediately confirm how many seats his party had won.