A car bomb killed up to 11 people in Baghdad today as election officials announced the final results of December's parliamentary elections, confirming the political dominance of the ruling Shia Muslim alliance.
The car bomb targeted worshippers leaving a Shia mosque after prayers in Baghdad's notorious Doura district, one of the most dangerous areas of the capital, reinforcing the vast security crisis the new government faces.
An Iraqi child lies in a hospital after getting wounded from a car bomb attack in Doura district, Baghdad
Sunni insurgents fighting to topple the US-backed Kurdish- and Shia-led government have already expressed anger over the election results, accusing the Shai alliance of cheating their way to victory.
Certified final results from the December 15th election confirmed the ruling United Iraqi Alliance, dominated by religious Shias, won a near majority in parliament, securing 128 of the 275 seats. The results also confirmed that a Kurdish alliance took 53 seats and Arab Sunni parties took a total of 58. That result was a large improvement on the previous elections held in January 2005, when Arab Sunnis boycotted the poll, ending up with barely any seats in parliament.
As electoral commission official Adel al-Lami read out the results at a media briefing in the heavily fortified Green Zone, a car parked near the mosque in Doura exploded as midday prayers ended.
Police said eight people had been killed and 28 wounded. But doctors at nearby al-Yarmuk hospital said at least 11 people were killed and 38 wounded.