A list led by Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had a wide lead in Baghdad, a key prize in Iraq's parliamentary election, preliminary results posted by Iraq's electoral commission showed on Saturday.

A Shi'ite coalition with close ties to Tehran, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), trailed Maliki's State of Law coalition, followed closely by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's Iraqiya list, a secularist, cross-sectarian group.

Final results from the March 7 polls may take weeks. Baghdad will have 68 seats in the 325-seat Iraqi parliament. – Reuters