Ayatollah-endorsed Shi’ite ticket makes early running

Jason Keyser, Baghdad

So far, 1.6 million votes have been counted, from 10% of the country's polling stations. The United Iraqi Alliance, which is backed by the country's most influential Shi'ite cleric, Grand

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, had 1.1 million votes, and the list led by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's list was second with more than 360,500 votes.