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Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, locked in a tight battle with his main rival to form Iraq's next government, called on Sunday for a manual recount of votes cast in the country's March 7 polls.

His demand was immediately slammed as a "clear threat" against the election commission by the Iraqiya bloc that is neck-and-neck with the incumbent's State of Law Alliance in the race to be the biggest grouping in parliament.

Results from the election, the second since Saddam Hussein was ousted in the US-led invasion of 2003, come less than six months before the United States is due to withdraw all of its combat troops from Iraq.

Latest figures from Iraq's election commission and based on 92 percent of ballots cast show State of Law trailing Iraqiya, led by secular ex-premier Iyad Allawi, by less than 8,000 votes nationwide.

In a statement on Sunday, Maliki called on Iraq's election commission to "immediately answer the demands of political parties to proceed with a manual recount" which he said would "protect political stability ... and prevent a return to violence."

The statement, which pointedly noted that Maliki remained head of the country's armed forces, did not specify whether he wanted a nationwide recount, or only in particular provinces.

The statement differs markedly from Maliki's own comments just a week ago, when he said election complaints "cannot affect the results."

Maliki advisor Ali al-Mussawi said the count had been proceeding properly until two-thirds of votes were tabulated, at which point "numbers were jumping illogically."

"We cannot give up and this (a manual recount) is the simplest measure that can be taken."

Hundreds of people demonstrated in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, south of Baghdad, on Sunday in support of the premier's demands.

Maliki's remarks were denounced by senior Iraqiya candidate Intisar Allawi, a relative of the bloc's leader, who described them as a "clear threat against the commission".

She added that Maliki's call for a manual recount was a "contradiction" that was fuelled by news that Iraqiya had taken the lead in the nationwide vote tally.

"While he says that the election is accurate, fair and transparent, when Iraqiya takes the lead, he accuses the commission," she said.

She declined to say a manual recount was unnecessary but noted that this action "would mean a delay of the results for several months. This would lead to a political vacuum that would affect the security situation."

Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and Western diplomats have previously downplayed any allegations of fraud, and pleaded for patience as the vote count, which has so far taken two weeks, continues.

Iyad al-Kinaani, an IHEC official, said the commission would discuss the recount request.

Figures released on Saturday showed Iraqiya garnered 2,543,632 votes compared with State of Law's 2,535,704, a difference of 7,928.

The nationwide vote count is an indication of the tight race between the two main rivals, but it was not immediately clear how their tallies would affect the number of seats they win in parliament.

Maliki's bloc currently leads in seven of Iraq's 18 provinces, including the single biggest Baghdad and six other mostly Shiite southern provinces. Allawi, meanwhile, is ahead in five mostly Sunni provinces but looks likely to win several seats in Shiite areas.

Iraq's proportional representation system makes it unlikely for any single group to clinch the 163 seats required to form a government on its own.

Complete election results are expected in the coming days. Final results -- after all complaints have been investigated and ruled upon -- are likely by the end of the month.

AFP